N200 BILLION FRAUD BAGGAGE:
APC, PRESIDENCY MAINTAIN DISTANCE FROM YAHAYA BELLO
By Abdullah Mohammed – Abuja
Fresh facts have emerged about the recent tepid disposition of the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), and the Presidency, towards immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello. Both high commands in the nation’s politics and governance are not enamoured by Bello’s multiple corruption cases vis-a-vis his public conduct and want him to answer for his misdemeanours all by himself. While Bello is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), for two separate fraud allegations totalling N190.6Billion, his son, Ali Bello, who is Chief of Staff to Bello’s successor, Ahmed Ododo, is standing trial for a N10 Billion malfeasance. Put together, Bello may just be entangled in a web of corruption cases involving over N200 Billion.
Bello and his accomplices, Umar Shaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, are standing trial before Justice Maryanne Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) High Court on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, to the tune of N110.4 Billion. Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, is hearing the N80.2Billion case preferred against Bello by the EFCC. The case under reference is a 19-count charge encompassing money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds. Ali Bello, hitherto misconstrued as Yahaya Bello’s nephew, but who in reality is Bello’s 26 year-old son born out of wedlock, is being prosecuted before Justice James K Omotosho, also in the Federal High Court, Abuja, on a 16-count amended charge bordering on misappropriation and money laundering, estimated at N10.2 Billion. As with the older Bello, Ali Bello’s accomplices include Abdulsalaam Hudu, an accounts officer in Government House, Lokoja, and Dauda Sulaiman.
A curious dimension to the whole saga is the alleged complicity of Bello’s successor, Ahmed Ododo, who occupied the strategic position of Auditor-General for local governments during which allocations to councils were parcelled as honoraria and imprests to Bello and his cohorts. It has been suggested that in a manner similar to how Nyesom Wike procured Siminalayi Fubara his former Accountant-General in Rivers State as his successor to protect his rear, Bello equally cloned Ododo who was privy to most of the illicit transactions perpetrated under his benefactor. For context, Ododo’s name has featured as courier of several instalments of gratification in the court of Justice Omotosho.
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Since the commencement of the multipronged trials for graft in the aftermath of Bello’s disengagement from office in January 2024, he has done everything possible to ingratiate himself to the administration of President Bola Tinubu, ostensibly to seek protection. Bello lobbied to be considered as Minister representing Kogi State, believing he could enjoy the same privileges of some of his former governor colleagues who are serving in the Tinubu government. Abubakar Badaru, (Jigawa); Bello Matawalle, (Zamfara); Atiku Bagudu, (Kebbi); Dave Umahi, (Ebonyi), and Nyesom Wike, (Rivers), are former governors holding ministerial positions in the incumbent administration. Bello equally aspired for the national chairmanship of the APC when the office was zoned to the North Central and eventually produced former university scholar, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda as Chairman last year.
Bello subsequently launched a media campaign directly canvassing patronage from President Tinubu, before infamously convening a ragtag “endorsement rally” in Lokoja late last year, where he pledged the wholesale support of Kogi State to Tinubu’s reelection in 2027. Ignored and overlooked, Yahaya Bello gatecrashed into the Lagos home of the President last Christmas at the inauguration of the APC National Committee on Strategy, Conflict Resolution and Mobilisation. Sources close to Tinubu observed the President’s embarrassment when Bello showed up with APC bigwigs including governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Hope Uzodinmma, Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, Sheriff Oborevwori, Siminalayi Fubara, Hyacinth Alia of Lagos, Imo, Kwara, Delta, Rivers and Benue, and just let it slide.
The body language of Tinubu is such that he doesn’t want to be seen to be shielding a Yahaya Bello who is being tried for sundry cases of financial misappropriation. This explains the glaring omission of Bello’s name from the initial 73-man list drawn up to plan the forthcoming national convention of the APC. Even when the list was expanded to 90, Bello the self-styled “supreme leader” and “white lion” of Kogi State APC didn’t make the cut. He didn’t feature either in the campaign committee for the FCT APC council poll, which was drawn from the pool of party leaders from adjoining states.
A very senior official at the national headquarters of the APC noted that the party and the Presidency had decided to tread the path of caution concerning Yahaya Bello. According to the source, while the embattled former governor remains a member of the APC, the party and the federal government had decided to be very circumspect, especially with due consideration to the cases he’s answering to. “We don’t want people to draw unnecessary inferences and conclusions. Many people want to give the party a bad name as a refugee camp for fleeing suspects. That is not correct. The integrity of the party is very important to us and we want to do our best to protect that.”
Continuing, the source observed that “President Tinubu is very mindful of things that will cast a blot on his image. Recall how he decisively eased out the former Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Betta Edu for alleged corruption, and her former colleague in Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, for alleged certificate forgery. The President is very, very concerned about the misappropriation of funds, including appropriations to local governments which have been serially abused and looted without repercussions in many states including Kogi, where anti-graft agencies are continually inundated with petitions. The charges against Yahaya Bello are weighty and President Tinubu would rather he answers to them and clears himself without undue interference.”
Yahaya Bello was on Thursday January 29, 2026, granted temporary custody of his international passport by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court to enable him participate in the lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia. While this concession was widely criticised, especially considering the fact that he constitutes a potential flight risk, informed sources maintain that the opportunity would not in any way impact his criminal prosecution. He is expected back within a 10-day period to take his place in the dock as he continues to be subjected to a hydra of judicial interrogations.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, FEBRUARY 10TH 2026)
