Abuja – Notable opposition leaders have accused President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of weaponising the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to persecute political opponents. The accusation was contained in a joint statement titled “Anti‑Corruption, Not Anti‑Opposition: A Joint Statement by Opposition Leaders on the Growing Politicisation of State Institutions for Persecution of the Opposition,” signed by former President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, former Minister of Works Bode George, former presidential candidate Peter Obi and other opposition figures.
The leaders warned that the Tinubu administration is plotting to annihilate opposition, raising alarm over what they described as a threat to Nigeria’s multi‑party democracy. They called for an independent review body to examine public accounts of the federal, state and local governments from 2015 to 2025 and urged that anti‑graft operatives be embedded in government payment and expenditure processes at all levels.
“We are compelled by duty to nation and conscience to issue this statement to alert our compatriots and the international community to the unfortunate and gradual slide of our country into a state where key national institutions – particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); The Nigeria Police; The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) are increasingly perceived as tools of political intimidation, selective justice and systematic persecution of opposition leaders,” the statement read.
The opposition leaders said state power was being deployed not for the prevention of economic crimes but for the persecution of perceived political adversaries, with the ultimate aim of weakening opposition voices and dismantling Nigeria’s multiparty democracy. They highlighted recent defections of opposition governors to the ruling party as evidence of political pressure rather than ideological persuasion.
The statement also criticised the perceived erosion of the EFCC’s independence, noting a pattern of selective enforcement that has seen members of the ruling party escape prosecution while opposition figures face media trials. “There is a discernible pattern of persecution of the opposition by the EFCC with the sole objective of weakening same for the benefit of the ruling APC,” the statement said.
The opposition leaders demanded that the EFCC be depoliticised and returned to its statutory mandate, that anti‑graft operatives be embedded in all government payment processes to ensure transparency, and that an independent review body be established to examine public accounts from 2015 to 2025. They also called for the amendment of the EFCC Act to strengthen its preventive role.
The statement concluded with a call to all Nigerians to defend the country’s democracy, warning that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” It was signed by Sen. David Mark, GCON; Alh. Atiku Abubakar, GCON; Mallam Lawal Batagarawa; Chief Bode George; Mr. Peter Obi, CON; and Chief John Odigie‑Oyegun, among others.
