Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has alleged that the detention of former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is politically motivated and aimed at weakening the opposition.
In a statement posted on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday, Atiku claimed that the only reason for Tambuwal’s arrest was his membership of the opposition coalition.
He described the development as part of a broader agenda by the Tinubu-led administration to “harass, intimidate, and decimate the opposition.”
“The reality unfolding before us today is that the Tinubu administration, as with other aspects, has objectified the fight against corruption as a political tool to coerce opposition leaders into the ruling party,” Atiku said.
According to him, Nigeria is witnessing “a growing trend where the state and its operators have assumed the roles of a bully by making corruption and the fight against it a political agenda.”
Atiku recalled his role in establishing the EFCC during his time in government, stressing that the agency was never intended to be weaponized against political opponents.
“It is as though today, anyone who associates with the opposition is a target for phantom corruption allegations and, as soon as they are coerced into the political agenda of President Tinubu, their ‘sins’ are forgiven. That, definitely, is not how to build institutions. That, certainly, is not how to fight the monster of corruption,” he said.
The former vice president accused the EFCC of being used to lure opposition governors into the ruling party, warning that such practices fuel corruption rather than curb it.
“While the genuine fight against corruption is a matter that requires the total support of all Nigerians, the objectification of it as a political agenda should be roundly condemned by all in civil society spaces and friends of Nigeria in the international community,” he added.
Atiku vowed that the opposition would resist what he described as “anti-democratic machinations” aimed at railroading Nigeria into a one-party state.
