…Commission denies political bias; also investigating past and serving APC stalwarts
By Yinka Giwa
The war of words between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and opposition political leaders escalated yesterday, as the Commission rejected accusations of selective prosecution, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) accused it of being weaponised by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to harass and intimidate rivals.
EFCC Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, said he would not be condemned for probing opposition politicians when the Commission is also investigating “former and serving strong ruling party governors and ministers.” He insisted that no one is above scrutiny, regardless of political affiliation.
In a statement by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the Commission described the ADC’s criticism as “an unprovoked attack” and “unwarranted blame game,” stressing that it has been “circumspect and dispassionate” in carrying out its mandate.
“The ADC’s claims that opposition leaders are being targeted with politically motivated summons are self-serving, diversionary, narrow, and idle,” Oyewale said. “Every corruption allegation deserves investigation. There is no constraint of time or season in criminal investigations.”
The EFCC maintained that records before the courts show politicians from all divides facing corruption charges, and that many serving governors across party lines are currently under investigation. It vowed not to be “blackmailed into making full disclosures of discreet investigations” and insisted there are “no sacred cows” in its operations.
Reacting to the detention of former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Atiku Abubakar alleged that the move was part of a wider strategy by the Tinubu administration to “harass, intimidate, and decimate” the opposition.
“The reality unfolding before us today is that the Tinubu administration has objectified the fight against corruption as a political tool to coerce opposition leaders into the ruling party,” Atiku said, accusing the government of targeting rivals with “phantom allegations” that are dropped once they defect to the APC.
Atiku, who was vice president when the EFCC was established in 2003, said such practices undermine the agency’s mandate and promote corruption. He urged civil society groups and the international community to resist “anti-democratic machinations” aimed at creating a one-party state.
The ADC, in a separate statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, doubled down on its position, accusing the EFCC of embarking on a “choreographed media trial” to tarnish coalition leaders. It cited the detention of Tambuwal, the “urgent” probe of former Imo Governor Emeka Ihedioha over his seven-month tenure five years ago, and the revival of investigations into ADC Chairman and former Senate President David Mark, who left office a decade ago.
The party questioned why such probes had suddenly become urgent, while what it called “fresher, well-documented cases” involving APC figures remained untouched.
“A fight against corruption that begins and ends with the opposition is not justice; it is persecution,” Abdullahi said. “These are calculated media trials that start and end with scandal, regardless of whether the accusations hold water.”
The EFCC, however, maintained its stance that “fraud is fraud” and “corruption is corruption,” warning political groups to focus on their partisan activities and allow the Commission to perform its duties.