Atiku, Obi, others accuse FG of targeting opposition through anti-graft agencies
Opposition leaders, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Senate President David Mark and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, have accused the federal government of politicising anti-graft and security institutions to intimidate and weaken opposition figures.
In a joint statement titled “Anti-Corruption, Not Anti-Opposition”, the leaders alleged that agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigeria Police and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) were increasingly being used for selective justice and political persecution.
They warned that the trend posed a serious threat to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy, particularly as the country moves towards the 2027 general election, claiming there was a covert agenda to force opposition-controlled states into the ruling party through intimidation rather than transparent elections.
According to the statement, recent defections of opposition governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had reinforced public suspicion that political pressure, rather than ideology or persuasion, was driving the realignment of political actors.
The opposition leaders accused the EFCC of selective enforcement, alleging that allegations against members of the ruling party were often overlooked, while accusations against opposition figures were aggressively pursued and subjected to media trials.
They added that the perceived erosion of the EFCC’s independence was undermining public trust and turning a critical national institution, established to safeguard Nigeria’s economic integrity, into an instrument of political persecution.
Among their demands were the urgent depoliticisation of the EFCC, a return to its statutory mandate of impartial anti-corruption enforcement, the strengthening of preventive mechanisms, and amendments to the EFCC Act to enhance transparency and accountability.
The leaders also called for the establishment of an independent review body to audit public accounts from 2015 to 2025 and urged Nigerians to remain vigilant against the emergence of a de facto one-party state, warning that democracy must be actively defended to survive.
