Stella Oduah’s Plea Bargain And The APC’s War Against Corruption -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

The title of this essay might sound as if I had presumed that my big sister Senator Stella Oduah was guilty as charged by our push-and-stop anti-graft agencies that do the bidding of the powers that be rather pursue their mandate to fight corruption or that I am not happy that Ogbaru iron lady and the political stallion has been let off the hook by those desirous of nailing her for doing her job well while in office. Far from it! Indeed I am very happy that she is freed at last. 

But I am outraged at the rate of deterioration of our public institutions and agencies of government that operates at the whims and caprices of the president. I am troubled that all the structures of governance and democratic institutions established to serve the people have been dismantled and emasculated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) regime. I am peeved that the agencies of the government have been turned into a tool of intimidation and oppression of the citizens. Of course, I am worried that after almost three decades of existence our democracy it is yet to take any firm root; it is imperiled by those that are supposed to safeguard it. The organs and the agencies that are supposed to promote democratic practice are being used to destroy it.   

Since the coming of the APC regime, the anti-graft agencies: the ICPC, the EFCC and the police have been used to harass members of the opposition while those within the ruling APC fold are treated as sacred cows. But when you defects to the APC, there would be negotiated soft landing for you. Those that refuse to decamp to the ruling party would be arrested and be made to face media trial. It is alleged that some are even arraigned on trumped up charges. And people have asked why is it that those tried for corruption are from the opposition parties? Is it only in the opposition that you have corrupt politicians? This evidently is selective justice.

Stella Oduah, a former PDP chieftain, was on trial for an offence allegedly committed in 2014 when she was the Minister for Aviation. Later, she left the PDP and defected to the APC. And, on Thursday the 26th day of March 2026, a federal high court sitting in Maitama discharged and acquitted her and her ex-aide and co-defendant Ms. Gloria Odita from the alleged N2.4 billion fraud case brought against them by the Office of the Attorney-general of the Federation. The trial judge Justice Hamza Muazu issued the discharge order after the prosecution informed the court that the defendants have returned the said loot for which they were charged, without giving the amount returned nor the process through which the said loot was refunded.

It was a plea bargain and many observers knew it was much more than that and that everything was made possible because she was now a member of the APC and accredited supporter of the president.  

A colleague had told me sometime in the past that Stella Oduah did not do anything wrong and that all the hullaballoo around her was because she was bold enough to pursue the upgrading of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport initiated by Dieziani Allison-Madueke, something opposed by the those who felt that upgrading the airport to international standard will affect the status of the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos. I never believed my friend then but now I am inclined to think that he was absolutely correct given the neglect of other regions and concentration of federal investment in Lagos the Tinubu’s regime and the open endorsement of his exclusionist policies by his people.

Anyone who thinks that Tinubu and his agencies are fighting corruption, is obviously suffering from self-delusion. The APC’s government selective war against corruption is public knowledge.  And it counter-productive for rather than curb corruption it is promoting corruption. Corruption is burgeoning under this regime. Those in public office now misappropriate public funds with impunity while the anti-graft agencies chase shadows, harassing members of the opposition and struggling jobless youths in our streets. The Transparency International and the international rating agencies have rated Nigeria very low on the anti-corruption index. This has a debilitating effects on the business and investment in the country. Genuine investors don’t put their funds where there is high level of corruption and insecurity. If Nigeria wants optimal use of state resources, the fight against corruption should not be politicized but taken seriously. The government should remove its hold on the anti-graft agencies and allow them to do their job accordingly.

Hajia Hadiza Mohammed 

hajiahadizamohammed@gmail.com 

An actress, social activist, politician 

London, UK