APC says minister bribe claim was about past governments, not Tinubu's
- APC spokesman Felix Morka said Alwan Hassan's claim that ministers pay billions for appointments referred to past administrations.
- Hassan, a campaign council spokesperson, made the remark on Arise News on October 22, sparking backlash.
- Opposition figure Kenneth Okonkwo challenged the explanation, saying payments would involve the President or Senate.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has moved to contain fallout from a viral comment by one of its chieftains, insisting that ministers in President Bola Tinubu's cabinet did not pay billions of naira to secure their posts.
The party's National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the remark by Alwan Hassan, a spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, was about past governments and had been taken out of context.
Hassan, speaking on Arise News on October 22 while praising Tinubu's handling of government revenue, said many ministers pay huge sums to be appointed and then focus on recovering the money.
"A lot of ministers pay billions and billions... to get themselves appointed. The first thing they think of is how to recoup that money," Hassan said, according to several reports. He did not name any minister or provide evidence.
The comment drew sharp reactions online, with many questioning whether serving ministers in Tinubu's government had paid for their positions.
APC: remark referred to past practices
Morka, speaking on Arise Television's Prime Time programme on Wednesday, said Hassan had since clarified that he was speaking historically.
"When Alwan Hassan said ministers pay billions to be appointed, he was not speaking about the current administration. It was in a historical context," Morka said.
He argued that Hassan's words had been twisted by opposition figures to discredit the government, and that appointments under Tinubu are based on merit, competence and capacity to deliver, not financial inducement.
Morka also questioned how any minister could recoup billions within Nigeria's budget framework, saying he was not willing to imagine such a scenario.
He urged Nigerians to disregard suggestions that ministers in Tinubu's cabinet paid for their positions.
Opposition pushes back
Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar's presidential campaign, challenged the APC's explanation. He argued that if anyone paid billions to be appointed minister, the money would have gone to the President or the Senate, since the constitution gives them the power to appoint ministers.
The exchange has kept the issue in public discussion, with Nigerians asking who received any such payments and whether financial inducement plays a role in appointments.
The APC has not said whether Hassan will face any internal consequences, and Hassan has not publicly responded to Morka's remarks.
What happens next: The party's explanation may not end the debate, as opposition parties are likely to keep pressing for clarity on how ministers are appointed and whether money changes hands.
