₦33.8 Billion Stolen, 75-Year Jail Term... Yet He Was Still Chasing the Taraba Governorship. Is Nigeria's Political System Built to Reward Corruption?
If this story does not shock you, perhaps nothing will.
A former Nigerian Minister of Power was convicted of diverting ₦33.8 billion meant to improve electricity supply, sentenced to a cumulative 75 years in prison, fled after judgment, hid in a rented apartment in Kaduna, was eventually arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and yet reports indicated that he had obtained nomination forms to pursue the Taraba State governorship while his corruption trial was unfolding.
Take a moment to think about that.
Saleh Mamman served as Nigeria's Minister of Power from August 2019 to September 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
On May 7, 2026, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted him on all 12 counts relating to the diversion of ₦33.8 billion earmarked for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Projects. On May 13, the court sentenced him in absentia to a cumulative 75 years' imprisonment after ordering that the sentences run consecutively. The court also ordered substantial restitution and the forfeiture of assets linked to the proceeds of the crime.
According to the EFCC, Mamman failed to appear in court after his conviction and went into hiding. Intelligence-led operations later tracked him to a rented apartment in the Rigasa area of Kaduna, where he was arrested. Two other individuals were also arrested for allegedly harbouring him. When he was eventually brought back before the court, his explanation that ill health caused his absence was rejected, and Justice Omotosho ordered his immediate transfer to the Kuje Correctional Centre to begin serving his sentence.
But beyond the conviction lies an even bigger national question.
Reports referenced during the proceedings indicated that Mamman had obtained APC governorship nomination forms to contest the Taraba State governorship election despite the serious criminal proceedings hanging over him.
That revelation should concern every Nigerian.
How does someone accused of diverting ₦33.8 billion in public funds remain politically viable?
What kind of political culture allows an individual facing allegations of this magnitude to continue pursuing one of the highest elective offices in a state?
Were there no questions asked?
Was nobody concerned?
Or has Nigeria become so comfortable with corruption that criminal allegations are no longer considered a barrier to political ambition?
The Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project was designed to generate about 3,050 megawatts of electricity, making it Nigeria's largest hydroelectric power project. For decades, Nigerians have endured crippling blackouts, businesses have spent fortunes on diesel generators, manufacturers have struggled with high production costs, hospitals have battled unstable electricity, and millions of students have studied under candlelight or rechargeable lamps.
The funds at the centre of this case were meant to help change that reality.
Every blackout suffered by ordinary Nigerians reminds us why corruption in the power sector is not just financial crime—it has human consequences.
Yet perhaps the greatest tragedy is not simply that public money was allegedly diverted. It is that someone facing such grave allegations could reportedly still aspire to become a governor.
Political parties may rightly point out that every citizen is presumed innocent until proven guilty. That principle is fundamental to justice. But political parties are not mere spectators—they are the gatekeepers of Nigeria's democracy. They have both the legal opportunity and the moral responsibility to scrutinise those seeking to fly their flags.
Integrity should never become an optional qualification for public office.
This case should force every political party in Nigeria to answer uncomfortable questions about its internal screening process. If individuals facing serious corruption trials can still move freely within the political system until conviction, then perhaps the problem extends beyond individual politicians to the institutions that continue to provide them with political platforms.
The image of a former minister convicted over funds meant to provide electricity, allegedly fleeing justice while still linked to a governorship ambition, is more than a personal scandal. It is a mirror reflecting the weaknesses within Nigeria's political system.
The EFCC deserves credit for eventually apprehending him, but the larger conversation should not end with one arrest. Nigerians deserve to know why public confidence in politics continues to erode and whether political parties are doing enough to protect the integrity of those seeking elective office.
Corruption does not begin when a court pronounces judgment. It begins the moment institutions fail to uphold standards.
Nigeria deserves leaders whose names inspire confidence, not controversy.
What do you think?
Should anyone standing trial for the alleged diversion of billions of naira in public funds be allowed to seek a party's nomination for elective office before their case is concluded? Or should political parties adopt stricter ethical standards than the minimum required by law?
#EFCC #Nigeria #Taraba #Corruption #PowerSector #Politics #Governance #Accountability
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