Tambuwal released; EFCC replies ADC, Atiku, Obi

The detention of former Sokoto State governor and prominent opposition coalition figure Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday sparked a political storm, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the coalition-led African Democratic Congress (ADC) accusing the anti-graft agency of acting as a political tool for the ruling […]

The detention of former Sokoto State governor and prominent opposition coalition figure Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday sparked a political storm, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the coalition-led African Democratic Congress (ADC) accusing the anti-graft agency of acting as a political tool for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, however, rejected what he called the politicisation of the commission’s investigation into Tambuwal, describing the ADC’s criticism as self-serving.

Tambuwal, who was released on Tuesday, was detained on Monday, just as the EFCC extended an invitation to former Imo State governor Emeka Ihedioha. Both are key leaders in the newly formed opposition coalition.

In a statement on Tuesday, ADC National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi alleged that “it has become crystal clear that the EFCC is out on a hatchet job, a choreographed media trial targeted at bringing coalition leaders into disrepute.”

The party questioned why the commission had suddenly found “urgent” grounds to investigate its national chairman, former Senate President David Mark, a decade after leaving office; Ihedioha, more than five years after his governorship; and Tambuwal, two years after leaving as Sokoto governor.

According to the ADC, the EFCC’s “pattern of ignoring APC stalwarts with fresh and well-documented cases, while targeting opposition figures with stale allegations” was proof of selective justice and “an assault on political freedom.” It said Tambuwal’s detention marked “the start of a crackdown intended to intimidate key leaders of the opposition and discredit them through media trials.”

“While the ADC stands for adherence to the rule of law and due process, we question the curious timing, selective targets, and political motivations that now seem to define the EFCC’s actions,” the party said. “A fight against corruption that begins and ends with the opposition is not justice; it is persecution. We have no doubts this is witch-hunting: the APC government weaponising anti-corruption to do its political battle.”

Abdullahi said the ongoing investigations were cynical attempts to intimidate and weaken credible opposition voices ahead of the 2027 elections.

“The APC’s EFCC does not touch its own while they are in office or when they defect to the ruling party,” he said.

“Once a former governor crosses over, their files vanish like morning dew. Since Ifeanyi Okowa joined the APC, have Nigerians heard a single whisper from the EFCC about his cases? Yet opposition leaders are hounded with allegations from decades past without a shred of new evidence.”

He added, “Every time the EFCC is deployed as a political bulldog, it tramples on public trust and shreds the credibility of our justice system. State institutions do not belong to the ruling party; they belong to Nigerians.”

 

FG using EFCC to bully opposition figures – Atiku

Atiku Abubakar also accused the APC-led federal government of using the EFCC to intimidate and bully the opposition into joining the ruling party.

In a statement on his social media platforms, Atiku said the detention of Tambuwal and other opposition figures was “a continuation of the Tinubu-led administration’s agenda to harass, intimidate, and decimate the opposition.”

He alleged that the administration had “objectified” the anti-corruption fight as a political weapon to coerce opposition leaders into defecting.

“It is as though anyone who associates with the opposition is a target for phantom corruption allegations,” Atiku said. “And as soon as they are coerced into the political agenda of President Tinubu, their ‘sins’ are forgiven.”

He warned that the approach would undermine institution-building and fuel corruption. “We have seen how the EFCC has been used to empty opposition state governors into the ruling party, and the tea party is not about to end anytime soon,” he said.

Atiku, a leader in the opposition coalition, assured Nigerians that the group “would never succumb to these anti-democratic machinations of railroading our people into a one-party dictatorship.”

Also reacting, former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, urged the EFCC to ensure that Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive is transparent to succeed.

Obi, who is also a leader of the opposition coalition, said the development exposed contradictions in the country’s anti-graft efforts.

“The fight against corruption in our country must be transparent to succeed. The arrest and interrogation of the former governor of Sokoto State, Rt Hon Aminu Tambuwal, by the EFCC, has opened up an existing contradiction in the fight against corruption,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

Obi said sincerity among leaders was key to tackling graft and urged that anti-corruption laws be applied uniformly, regardless of political affiliation.

“I look forward to the time when the anti-corruption fight in this country will be under one law that applies to all, no matter who is involved, not one targeting political opponents or perceived enemies of the incumbent government,” he stated.

The former Anambra State governor called on anti-graft agencies to act with conscience and adhere to the rule of law, replacing “impressions and preconceptions” with evidence and facts.

“In a credible fight against corruption, the public must be convinced that the rules are even and the subjects are not arbitrarily selected by political convenience. A corruption-free Nigeria is possible only if our fight is transparent,” he added.

 

Your attack on anti-graft agency self-serving, EFCC replies

Responding, the EFCC described the ADC’s criticism as “self-serving, diversionary, narrow and idle” and insisted no political party would derail its mandate.

Olukoyede, speaking through EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale, noted that the commission had also invited and interrogated former and serving APC officials.

“If I am not condemned for investigating both former and serving ruling party governors and ministers, I should not be condemned for also investigating opposition figures,” he said.

He argued that corruption allegations, regardless of when they occurred, deserved investigation.

“There is no constraint of time and season in criminal investigations,” he said, adding that several political figures from across the spectrum were facing charges in court.

Olukoyede stressed that many serving governors from various parties were also on the EFCC’s radar and reiterated that “the immunity against any investigation by the EFCC is accountability and probity.”

He reminded the ADC of its own statement that the EFCC “belongs to the Nigerian people” and is funded by taxpayers. “Nothing will make an innocent person answer any charge from the EFCC,” he said. “The ‘opposition figures’ the ADC is trying to whitewash know in their hearts that they have issues that necessitated their invitations.”

The EFCC chairman maintained there were “no sacred cows” and urged Nigerians to ignore “political statements meant to heat up the polity and divert attention from the pillage of the national treasury.”

 

Tambuwal granted bail after interrogation

Meanwhile, the former Sokoto State governor has been released from the custody of the EFCC on Tuesday, Daily Trust can confirm.

Tambuwal, who was detained on Monday at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, is alleged to have fraudulently withdrawn about N189 billion while in office.

He had honoured an EFCC invitation at about 11:16 a.m. on Monday but was taken into custody after reportedly failing to answer questions put to him.

Confirming his release, an EFCC investigator said Tambuwal had been granted administrative bail and would be allowed to leave after meeting his bail conditions.

“We’ve extracted what we need from him, and he will soon leave our headquarters after perfecting his bail conditions,” the source said.

When asked whether the former governor would face charges, the official declined to comment.

EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale did not respond to calls or text messages seeking comment as of press time.