Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of weaponizing the fight against corruption to intimidate and weaken political opponents.
Reacting to the detention of former Sokoto State governor and Senator, Aminu Tambuwal, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Atiku alleged that the arrest was politically motivated and part of a broader plan to coerce opposition leaders into joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate claimed that corruption allegations against opposition figures often vanish once they align with the APC.
“It is as though 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 Bola Tinubu, their ‘sins’ are forgiven,” Atiku wrote.
He warned that such practices not only undermine the credibility of anti-corruption institutions but also fuel the very vice they are meant to fight.
“That, definitely, is not how to build institutions. That, certainly, is not how to fight the monster of corruption. Indeed, such tendencies provide the stimulant for corruption to thrive,” he said.
Atiku, who played a key role in establishing the EFCC during his time as vice president, condemned the alleged partisan use of the agency, warning that it risks turning Nigeria into a “one-party dictatorship.”
“We have in recent times witnessed the use of anti-corruption agencies in coercing political leaders into the ruling party. Our assurance to Nigerians is that we would never succumb to these anti-democratic machinations of railroading our people into a one-party dictatorship,” he stated.
He urged Nigerians, civil society groups, and the international community to reject the politicization of the anti-graft war.
“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,” Atiku added.
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