Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has alleged that the continued detention of former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is part of a wider plan to intimidate and weaken the opposition.
In a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, Atiku claimed Tambuwal’s detention was solely because he belongs to the opposition coalition. He accused the EFCC of being deployed as a political weapon to coerce opposition leaders into joining the ruling party.
“We are witnessing a disturbing trend where the state and its agents have turned the fight against corruption into a political agenda. That was never the purpose for which I worked hard to establish the EFCC during our administration,” Atiku said.
He argued that targeting opposition figures with corruption allegations while ignoring similar accusations against ruling party members undermines the credibility of institutions and fuels corruption. “Such tendencies only stimulate corruption to thrive,” he added.
The former vice president alleged that the EFCC had been used to pressure opposition governors into defecting and warned that the practice was unlikely to stop soon. He stressed that while the genuine fight against corruption should have the support of all Nigerians, its politicisation must be condemned.
“We will never succumb to these anti-democratic machinations aimed at railroading our nation into a one-party dictatorship,” Atiku vowed.
