A coalition of opposition leaders has accused President Bola Tinubu of allegedly using the EFCC and other state institutions to harass political opponents and weaken Nigeria’s opposition parties.
In a joint statement titled “Anti-Corruption, Not Anti-Opposition”, the leaders warned that Nigeria’s democracy was under threat due to what they described as selective prosecution and political intimidation.
“There is a discernible pattern of persecution of the opposition by the EFCC with the sole objective of weakening same for the benefit of the ruling APC,” the statement said.
They alleged that while allegations against opposition figures were aggressively pursued, similar accusations against ruling party members were ignored.
The leaders also warned against an alleged plot to coerce opposition governors into defecting, describing it as an attempt to impose a one-party state.
Among their proposals were the embedding of anti-corruption operatives into government payment systems and the creation of an independent review panel to audit public accounts from 2015 to 2025.
The statement was signed by David Mark, Atiku Abubakar, Lawal Batagarawa, Bode George, Peter Obi and John Odigie-Oyegun.
