The Presidency has rejected suggestions that President Bola Tinubu is weaponising the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against opposition figures in order to pressure them into joining the ruling All Progressives Congress. It described such claims as baseless and the product of a “failed opposition” running out of issues to campaign on.
In a statement issued in Abuja by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said Tinubu would never deploy the EFCC to harass, intimidate or blackmail political rivals. Onanuga stressed that recent high profile defections to the APC were voluntary and motivated by confidence in the president’s reform agenda.
He noted that Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees freedom of association and the right to change political affiliation at any time. According to him, no one has been compelled to join the APC and it is wrong to suggest that anti corruption agencies are being used as tools of coercion.
Responding to allegations that democracy is under threat due to the wave of defections, Onanuga said such rhetoric is aimed at undermining public trust in national institutions. He argued that political realignments are normal in democracies and that Nigerians are free to support any party they believe best represents their interests.
The Presidency also dismissed accusations from opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, that the EFCC is being turned into a political weapon. It maintained that the anti graft agency operates within its statutory mandate and is not subject to presidential instructions on who to investigate, arrest or prosecute.
Onanuga said individuals facing EFCC inquiries, regardless of party, should clear their names in court instead of portraying accountability as persecution. He added that some of the politicians now crying foul had cases with the EFCC long before Tinubu assumed office in 2023.
Reiterating that no one is above the law, the Presidency urged political actors to respect national institutions and support the broader fight against corruption. It warned that turning legitimate anti graft efforts into partisan battles risks weakening oversight and harming Nigeria’s democratic progress.
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