The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on the nation’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to remain impartial and not allow itself to be used by the federal government to fight political wars.
The opposition coalition accused the agency of carrying out selective investigations and behaving like a political hit squad for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The ADC’s accusation followed Monday’s arrest of former governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, by the EFCC, over allegations of N189bn money laundering.
The party warned that this dangerous trend is eroding public trust in the institution and undermining the real fight against corruption.
ADC, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the EFCC’s recent pattern of action—reopening closed cases, digging up files from years past, and targeting members of opposition parties—is not the work of an impartial anti-graft body. It is the work of a political enforcer.
It stated, “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 old files opened in reaction to emergent political affiliations to intimidate key opposition figures.
“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.”
The opposition coalition said it has 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 finds 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 hand 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.”
Confirming the arrest of Tambuwal yesterday, an official of the EFCC said the withdrawals contravene the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022, adding that the former governor is facing questions over suspicious transactions during his tenure, involving alleged unauthorised withdrawals of public funds.