…Accuses anti-graft agency of selective prosecution to shield APC allies
…Opposition leaders face politically motivated investigations — Party says
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of conducting selective investigations that favour the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) while targeting opposition members with politically motivated charge
In a statement released by Bolaji Abdullahi, the interim national publicity secretary of the ADC, the anti-graft agency was described as increasingly acting like a “political hit squad” for the APC.
Mr Abdullahi warned that this pattern of behaviour by the EFCC is not only eroding public trust in the institution but also undermining the authentic fight against corruption in the country.
He pointed to a disturbing recent trend where the EFCC has been reopening cases that were long closed, digging up old files, and summoning senior opposition figures without any new evidence.
“In recent days, several senior members of the Opposition Coalition have received EFCC summons that are clearly politically motivated. These are not fresh cases arising from new evidence but new files opened in reaction to emergent political affiliations to intimidate key opposition figures,” he said.
The ADC official emphasised the original purpose of the EFCC, which was to serve as a fearless defender of the Nigerian people’s trust, applying the law equally regardless of party affiliation.
“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 to have been compromised.
The Commission now operates like a department of the APC, deployed to fight government critics and opposition figures thereby achieving what the government cannot achieve through public debate,” Mr Abdullahi said.
He further noted that while investigations against ruling party allies appear to fade into obscurity, opposition figures continue to be dragged before the court of public opinion over allegations sometimes decades old, which are hastily revived and presented as fresh evidence.
“Meanwhile, we have observed how investigations into ruling party allies quietly fade away while opposition figures are dragged before the court of public opinion with sometimes decade-old allegations that have been hastily revived and dressed up as fresh evidence.
“It does appear that in today’s Nigeria, one’s guilt or innocence depends on one’s party membership, not evidence. For example, since a certain former governor defected to the APC with his state’s entire political machinery, the EFCC’s investigations into his administration have vanished from public view.
“Not a question has been asked. Not a document leaked. Not a single update. Yet the same EFCC still somehow find means to reopen old cases against opposition leaders and pursue the stale allegations against them,” he stated.
The ADC called on Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the independent media to resist this dangerous descent into dictatorship and the partisan misuse of public institutions for political ends.
