Prominent opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and PDP elder statesman Bode George, on Sunday, accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of deliberately undermining opposition parties ahead of future elections.
In a joint statement released on Sunday, also signed by ADC National Chairman David Mark, former APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun, and Lawal Batagawara, the opposition called for an independent audit of federal, state, and local government accounts from 2015 to 2025, alleging that state authority is being weaponised against political opponents rather than used to combat economic crimes.
The statement follows a wave of defections by governors, National Assembly members, and other influential figures to the ruling APC, including the recent defection of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara from the PDP.
The opposition claimed that major national institutions—including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nigeria Police, and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission—are increasingly being used as instruments of political intimidation, selectively enforcing justice against opposition figures while shielding ruling party member
“Across our nation, state power is 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,” the statement said.
The leaders alleged a covert agenda to bring all state governments under APC control, using anti-corruption agencies to intimidate opposition governors into defection. They warned that this pattern, if unchecked, threatens Nigeria’s democratic stability. “Recent defections reinforce public suspicion that political pressure, rather than ideological or personal persuasion, is driving this realignment,” the statement added, highlighting a broader project targeting key opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general election.
They also criticised the EFCC’s selective prosecution pattern, citing comments by former APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole that “once you have joined APC, all your sins are forgiven,” as symbolic of the administration’s approach.
The opposition proposed embedding anti-corruption operatives in government payment processes and creating an independent review body with full access to public accounts to expose selective prosecutions and strengthen the EFCC.
The ADC Kebbi State chapter criticised the EFCC for the detention of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), describing it as unconstitutional and politically motivated. Malami, through his spokesperson Mohammed Bello Doka, denied allegations linking him to terrorism financing or operating 46 bank accounts, describing them as “false, baseless, and part of a coordinated media trial.”
In response, the Presidency on Sunday rejected claims that President Tinubu is weaponising the EFCC, describing the opposition’s attacks as “scapegoating by a dying political party” and “failed aspirants regrouping on an unstable platform.”
In a statement signed by Special Adviser on Information & Strategy Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency accused critics of seeking “cheap political gains” by alleging a threat to multi-party democracy because politicians are freely joining the APC.
“They alleged a threat to multi-party democracy because many top politicians are joining the governing APC of their own free will,” Onanuga said. Citing constitutional guarantees of freedom of association, the Presidency insisted that defections were voluntary and motivated by “noticeable gains” from Tinubu’s reform programme, not coercion.
Onanuga reaffirmed the EFCC’s independence, stating that the commission investigates and prosecutes financial crimes irrespective of political affiliation or personality, and that prosecutions are determined by the courts, not the Presidency.
“The EFCC is an independent institution established by law and empowered to carry out its statutory responsibilities without interference or favour,” he said. “Those who have cases to answer should be bold enough to defend themselves if they are clean. No one is above the law. Everyone must be accountable for their actions, both in and out of office.”
The Presidency also argued that some opposition figures had previously been investigated or prosecuted before Tinubu took office in 2023, and some had faced foreign money-laundering probes. Onanuga suggested that their criticism reflects mounting pressure: “Are they now signing statements because their chickens are coming home to roost?”
Warning against undermining national institutions, the Presidency urged critics to stop “weaponising politics to escape accountability,” stressing that the fight against corruption is a collective responsibility and must not be trivialised by “baseless, jaundiced or politicised narratives.”
The dispute underscores growing tensions between the Presidency and opposition over perceived politicisation of anti-corruption agencies, with both sides framing the controversy as central to the future of Nigeria’s democracy. At the time of filing this report, the EFCC had not officially responded to the allegations.
