Atiku accuses Tinubu’s government of using EFCC to harass opposition as Tambuwal detained over alleged N189bn

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a political weapon to target opposition figures.

Recall that former governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, was detained on Monday over alleged illegal withdrawal of more than N189 billion during his tenure.

The withdrawal was carried out incrementally for six years out of his eight-year tenure, according to EFCC sources.

The senator honoured the invitation of the anti-graft agency at about 11:30 am in Abuja yesterday.

It was learnt that the interrogation commenced immediately, and he was slated to spend the night in custody.

The withdrawals were from three accounts: the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), the Government House Account and the Secretary to the State Government Account.

About five other suspects – cashiers and government officials, who have been identified by the agency – may testify against the ex-governor or stand trial with him.

Last month, Tambuwal was reportedly quoted as saying, “We’re still members of PDP, and we’re going nowhere, but we will work for ADC.”

Tambuwal, who also served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015, governed Sokoto from 2015 to 2023.

Attempt to harass opposition – Atiku

However, Atiku, reacting to Tambuwal’s detention, claimed the move was part of a broader agenda to “harass, intimidate, and decimate” members of the opposition coalition.

“The only reason the EFCC has detained the former Governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, is because he is a member of the opposition Coalition,” Atiku said in a statement. “It is a continuation of the Tinubu-led administration’s agenda to intimidate the opposition.”

The former Vice President, who was instrumental in the establishment of the EFCC during his time in office, alleged that the agency’s anti-corruption drive had been “objectified” as a political tool to coerce opponents into joining the ruling party.

“Today, anyone who associates with the opposition is a target for phantom corruption allegations. As soon as they are coerced into the political agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, their ‘sins’ are forgiven,” he said.

Atiku warned that such practices were eroding institutional integrity and creating fertile ground for corruption to flourish. He pointed to a “growing trend” where anti-corruption bodies were allegedly being deployed to force opposition governors and political leaders into the ruling party.

While calling for a united front in the fight against genuine corruption, Atiku urged civil society, Nigerians, and the international community to condemn what he described as “anti-democratic machinations” aimed at railroading the country into a one-party state.

We will never succumb to these tactics. The use of anti-corruption agencies as a political agenda must be roundly condemned,” he added.

Don’t intimidate opposition – ADC told EFCC

Similarly, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) kicked against the move, saying EFCC should focus on corruption instead of “harassing” opposition figures.

It said the Commission is behaving like a political hit squad for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

It warned that the dangerous trend could erode public trust in the institution and undermine the anti-corruption fight.

ADC Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said in a statement that the EFCC’s recent pattern of re-opening closed cases, digging up files from years past, and targeting members of opposition parties suggests that it is not an anti-graft body, but a political enforcer.

The ADC further urged Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the independent media to resist what it described as “a dangerous slide into dictatorship” and to ensure the EFCC remained an impartial anti-graft agency funded by taxpayers, not the ruling party.

“In recent days, several senior members of the opposition coalition have received EFCC summons that are clearly politically motivated. These are not fresh cases arising from new evidence but new files opened in reaction to emergent political affiliations to intimidate key opposition figures,” the statement said.

It added: “The EFCC was created to be a fearless defender of the Nigerian people’s trust, applying the law evenly to all, friend or foe, ruling party or opposition. Today, that vision appears to have been compromised. The Commission now operates like a department of the APC, deployed to fight government critics and opposition figures, thereby achieving what the government cannot achieve through public debate.

Meanwhile, we have observed how investigations into ruling party allies quietly fade away while opposition figures are dragged before the court of public opinion with sometimes decade-old allegations that have been hastily revived and dressed up as fresh evidence. This is selective prosecution, and selective prosecution is the death of justice.

“It does appear that in today’s Nigeria, one’s guilt or innocence depends on one’s party membership, not evidence. For example, since a certain former governor defected to the APC with his state’s entire political machinery, the EFCC’s investigations into his administration have vanished from public view. Not a question has been asked. Not a document leaked. Not a single update. Yet the same EFCC still somehow find means to reopen old cases against opposition leaders and pursue the stale allegations against them.

“It does not augur well for the EFCC if people think that all you need to point the accusing hands of the Commission in your direction is to stand opposed to the ruling party, and all that it takes for protection is to align with the government. Unfortunately, this is the widely established perception in Nigeria today, which the commission, by its recent actions, including the ongoing surreptitious harassment of opposition leaders, has given credence to.

The ADC hereby calls on all Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the independent media to resist this dangerous slide into dictatorship and misuse of public institutions to achieve partisan objectives. The EFCC does not belong to the APC. It belongs to the Nigerian people. It is funded by taxpayers, not the ruling party.”