The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has vowed not to remain silent as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, allegedly targets prominent opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The outcry follows Monday’s arrest and grilling of former Sokoto State Governor and serving Senator, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, over alleged fraudulent cash withdrawals totalling N189 billion.
Tambuwal, a key member of the opposition coalition, governed Sokoto State from 2015 to 2023.
#Muktv reports that the controversy has reignited debate about the independence of Nigeria’s anti-corruption bodies.
As the 2027 elections draw closer, accusations of political interference in the EFCC’s operations are likely to intensify.
Reacting to Tambuwal’s arrest, the ADC accused the EFCC of conducting selective investigations aimed at intimidating opposition politicians.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party claimed that several recent EFCC summons to senior coalition members were politically motivated, reopening old cases without new evidence.
It further alleged that probes into certain ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, members were quietly dropped after the individuals defected to the ruling party.
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 compromised. The Commission now operates like a department of the APC, deployed to fight critics and opposition figures, achieving what the government cannot achieve through public debate,” part of the statement read.
The ADC urged Nigerians, civil society groups, and the media to demand institutional independence, warning that allowing partisan influence over anti-graft agencies could cripple democracy.
In another statement on Tuesday, the party alleged that recent EFCC actions against former Senate President David Mark, former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, and former Imo State Governor Emeka Ihedioha were politically motivated.
The ADC said EFCC correspondence now circulating online showed that the Commission had requested Imo State Government officials to urgently provide information relating to Ihedioha’s seven-month tenure as governor from May 29, 2019, to January 14, 2020.
The party also claimed that the EFCC had begun reviewing records from Mark’s tenure as Senate President between 2007 and 2015.
On his part, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said Tambuwal’s detention was part of a wider plot by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 polls.
In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, Atiku accused the government of weaponizing the fight against corruption to coerce political leaders into joining the APC.
It is as though anyone who associates with the opposition is a target for phantom corruption allegations, and as soon as they are coerced into the political agenda of President Bola Tinubu, their ‘sins’ are forgiven. That is not how to build institutions, nor how to fight corruption. Such tendencies only fuel it,” Atiku wrote.
The former VP, who played a key role in establishing the EFCC during his tenure, condemned its alleged partisan deployment, warning it could lead to a one-party dictatorship.
He called on Nigerians, civil society, and the international community to resist the politicization of anti-graft institutions.
We have witnessed the use of anti-corruption agencies to pressure political leaders into the ruling party. Our assurance to Nigerians is that we will never succumb to these anti-democratic machinations,” he added.
