The African Transparency Initiative tore into the decision, calling it “a grave assault on integrity” and warning that it gives Bello “presidential cover.” In a statement signed by executive director Comrade Taiwo Omoniyi Otitolaye, the group said the move lands a direct hit on Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive and shreds any claim to accountability or good governance.
Bello, who ran Kogi for eight years, is in court accused of laundering state money and pocketing more than ₦80 billion. ATI also points to separate claims that he ran illegal mining rackets, bankrolled thugs, and had a hand in the murder of a PDP women’s leader, plus repeated sightings of him alongside Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, the cleric who chats with armed groups.
ATI says the appointment tells the world that Tinubu’s government is fine with corruption, illicit mining, and “terrorism lite,” and warns it will further erode public trust and Nigeria’s battered global image. The group adds that Kogi people, who lived through Bello’s violent tenure, are watching their pain get rewarded with a national party post.
The EFCC’s job also gets harder, ATI argues, when a high-profile suspect is handed a soft landing. It calls the appointment “a gangrenous sore” on every anti-corruption campaign and links the spike in banditry around Kogi to Bello’s cozy ties with Sheikh Gumi—activity that ticked up after the cleric publicly praised the former governor in 2021.
ATI wants Tinubu to boot Bello off the committee immediately and demands that police, the EFCC, and other agencies pursue every charge without fear or favour.
“Nigeria deserves leadership rooted in principle and justice—not one that swaps impunity for political mileage,” the group said.
