Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised alarm over what he describes as the dangerous politicisation of Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign, warning that the ongoing actions of anti-graft agencies risk eroding public confidence in their integrity.
In a statement issued Thursday by his media office in Abuja, Atiku condemned the arrest and detention of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), saying the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has strayed from its founding ideals.
According to him, “The politicisation of corruption investigations has rendered the EFCC’s credibility suspect and rubbished the very ideals that inspired its establishment.”
The former Vice President accused the EFCC of selectively targeting opposition figures while overlooking serious corruption allegations involving allies of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He described the pattern as a calculated attempt to weaken the opposition and tilt the political landscape in favour of the government.
Atiku said the agency's sudden aggressiveness coincided with the rise of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a formidable opposition bloc, alleging that figures such as Malami and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal became immediate targets while politically exposed individuals within the ruling party were shielded.
He recalled that several former governors with unresolved corruption cases were rewarded with ministerial and ambassadorial positions under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yet the EFCC raised no objections.
“We expected the EFCC to voice its objection to the appointment of former governors with unresolved corruption allegations. But partisan loyalty prevailed over integrity,” Atiku said.
He argued that the agency’s behaviour proves that political alignment—not accountability—now determines who gets scrutinised.
He added pointedly that had Malami defected to the APC, the EFCC would have left him untouched, even if he had looted the entire CBN vault.
Atiku further alleged that the EFCC has become a tool to coerce politicians into joining the ruling party.
According to the former Vice President, “The EFCC, now operating like a political rottweiler, is deployed to intimidate and coerce politicians into joining the APC. And once they bow to pressure, their corruption cases mysteriously vanish.”
He cautioned that no credible democracy trades the independence of its anti-graft institutions for political gains, warning that such a trajectory is both dangerous and unsustainable.
Atiku urged the EFCC leadership to urgently reassert its neutrality and resist political interference, insisting that the agency’s long-term legitimacy depends on its ability to operate impartially.
0 Comments