A group of Nigerians in the United Kingdom under the banner of Concerned Nigerians in the Diaspora United Kingdom (CND-UK) has vowed to intensify efforts to expose and challenge corrupt politicians ahead of the 2027 general elections, which they have dubbed “Our Year of Emancipation.”
The group, led by Abanikanda Olumoro, said its mission is to ensure that politicians with corruption-related records are kept away from the electoral process, insisting that Nigeria’s next phase of leadership must be driven by integrity and accountability.
CND-UK commended recent media investigations that exposed the alleged forged degree certificate of the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, describing it as “a bold step towards cleaning up the system.” The group, however, said the next focus should be on the Minister of Interior, Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, who has been linked to several corruption allegations.
“Now after Nnaji, our next focus is Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, who has had his name mentioned in corruption cases regarding the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and the Betta Edu humanitarian corruption fund saga,” the group said.
According to the statement, Tunji-Ojo’s alleged involvement in these cases raises serious questions about transparency and the anti-corruption stance of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The group accused Tunji-Ojo of leveraging his political influence alongside other key figures in government to dominate political structures in some parts of the country especially in the South West ahead of 2027.
The group acknowledges President Bola Tinubu’s effort marketing Nigeria as “now a corruption-free country that citizens abroad can return home to join in building and foreign investors can bring their money to invest in”, but insists that the only time such effort will make sense to them is when they see that the members of government and political party who are now positioning themselves, having made humongous hell of money, to dominate and determine who gets what in the choosing of leaders across states of the country from 2027 are stopped.
They claimed that Tunji-Ojo’s dominance of politics should not proceed without a full and independent probe clearing his name of all corruption allegations.
CND-UK referenced reports by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) which linked Tunji-Ojo to controversies during his tenure as Chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, where he was accused by the then Acting Managing Director, Kemebradikumo Pondei, of corruption — an accusation that led to Pondei’s dramatic walkout during a National Assembly hearing in 2020.
The group insisted that “it is not enough for Tunji-Ojo to recuse himself” and demanded that the allegations be thoroughly investigated, adding that failure to do so would undermine Nigeria’s image globally and weaken Tinubu’s claims of marketing the country as corruption-free.
The statement also recalled several reports — including those from Punch, Daily Post, and ThisDay — that highlighted Tunji-Ojo’s alleged links to the N438 million consultancy contract scandal involving the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, and his alleged ownership of the implicated company, New Planet Project Ltd.
CND-UK argued that despite Tunji-Ojo’s notable achievements as Interior Minister — such as clearing passport backlogs — the unresolved corruption allegations and controversy over his NYSC certificate continue to cast doubt on his credibility.
They further cited calls by other civic groups such as the South West Integrity Group urging President Tinubu to suspend Tunji-Ojo pending the outcome of investigations, stressing that failure to act would reinforce perceptions that the current administration shields politically connected individuals from accountability.
The group concluded by warning that allowing individuals with questionable records to dominate political and administrative processes would jeopardize Nigeria’s democratic progress and international reputation.
“Before the likes of Bunmi Tunji-Ojo can play any role in 2027 — our year of emancipation — they must face a lawful and independent probe. If cleared, we will applaud them; but if found guilty, Nigerians must move on without them,” CND-UK stated.
