An All Progressives Congress (APC), chieftain, Alwan Hassan, has alleged that the vast majority of ministers who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari should be in prison, describing the eight-year administration as a period of weak oversight and unchecked power.

Hassan made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme aired on Tuesday, amid renewed scrutiny of officials who served in Buhari’s cabinet between 2015 and 2023.

“There has never been a time when ministers got free hands without supervision like Buhari’s eight years in office.

“You’ve heard what people are saying. The former president even told them to keep their documents ready because there will come a day when they’ll be asked to explain themselves. Maybe he has seen what they are doing.”

Hassan alleged that corruption was widespread during the period, though he acknowledged that a small number of officials were not involved.

“Those good men around those years are the 5 per cent. There are a few good people, very few good men around,” he said.

He blamed the situation on what he described as the absence of effective presidential oversight, characterising the administration as a “free-for-all.”

“There has never been a time when government budgets were 100 per cent released without interference by the presidency like Buhari’s time. Ministers were given free rein.

“They did what they wanted. Everyone was his own cabal. If you got the chance to meet Buhari and explain things, you became a cabal.

“The nation was at peace. People were doing what they wanted. If you were appointed under Buhari, your job was largely abdicated to you. There was no supervision,” he said.

Hassan contrasted the Buhari era with the current administration of President Bola Tinubu, which he described as more interventionist and fiscally controlled.

“This government is hands-on. If you’re talking about government finance, it’s Asiwaju. Everyone knows this. Contractors like me are still shouting about unpaid sums. He is careful; he knows his priorities. It is not business as usual,” he said.

His comments come as several former ministers and senior officials who served under Buhari face investigations and prosecutions over alleged corruption and financial misconduct.

Among them are former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, who is being investigated over alleged mismanagement of social intervention funds; former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, accused in a money-laundering case; and former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who is facing charges linked to the failed Nigeria Air project.

Also under investigation are former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, over allegations bordering on financial impropriety.

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