Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the President Bola Tinubu-led administration of weaponising the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intimidate and weaken opposition leaders.
Atiku, in a statement on Tuesday, alleged that the recent detention of former Sokoto State governor, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, was politically motivated, describing it as part of a broader agenda 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,” he said.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain lamented what he described as a growing trend in which anti-graft agencies are used to “empty opposition state governors into the ruling party,” adding that those who defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have their alleged “sins” forgiven.
Atiku, who served as vice president when the EFCC was established, insisted that the agency was not created to serve partisan interests, warning that such practices fuel corruption rather than curb it.
He called on Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the international community to condemn the politicisation of anti-corruption efforts, stressing that the country must resist what he termed “anti-democratic machinations” aimed at imposing a one-party state.
