The presidency has described some opposition politicians as attempting to revive their failed political careers by calling out the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The statement from the presidency, issued and signed by Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, accused the opposition figures of seeking scapegoats for their failure.
The message comes after a coalition of opposition leaders issued a joint statement raising a major alarm about the alleged politicisation of key anti-corruption and security agencies in Nigeria.
In the statement signed by David Mark, Atiku Abubakar, Mallam Lawal Batagawara, Chief Bode George, Peter Obi, and Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, they accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of using security and anti-graft agencies as tools for the “systematic persecution of opposition leaders.”
The statement emphasized that state institutions – particularly the EFCC, the Nigeria Police, and the ICPC – are increasingly being deployed for “selective justice” with the ultimate aim of weakening opposition voices and dismantling the nation’s multi-party democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
However, the presidency said the opposition coalition would fail just like its members failed in their political careers.
It countered submissions that opposition figures are being forced to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that those defecting to the APC are doing so of their own free will and because of the good things they have observed in the Tinubu government.
It also denied claims that the government is weaponising state institutions such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against opposition figures in the country.
The full response from the presidency, titled, “A FAILED OPPOSITION ENGAGING IN SUBTERFUGE AND THE EMPTY SEARCH FOR SCAPEGOATS,” reads: “Nigeria’s so-called opposition politicians, comprising some of those left in a dying political party and a sprinkling of some failed political office aspirants regrouping in a platform struggling to find its bearings, are amusing lots.
“They blow hot air, seek scapegoats for their failure and move to confuse the polity in a desperate search for cheap political gains.
“On Sunday, a group of opposition figures gathered to sing their familiar tune, hoping their cheerleaders would see their action as a blistering attack from a seemingly virile opposition group.
“They alleged a threat to multi-party democracy because many top politicians are joining the governing All Progressives Congress of their own free will. Our constitution guarantees freedom of association and affords our people the right to change their political leanings at any time of their choosing.
“None of the people who joined the governing APC was pressured to do so. They all did so of their own free will. They are being motivated by the noticeable gains of President Bola Tinubu’s reform programme.
“We may ask: when politicians were moving in droves to the now-dying Peoples Democratic Party between 2000 and 2015, was Nigeria’s democracy imperilled?
“Also, investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have begun exposing those with some explanation to give regarding their stewardship in office and management of public funds entrusted to them. These politicians now accuse President Tinubu of weaponising the EFCC for political purposes.
“While the Presidency does not speak for the EFCC and believes the agency can speak for itself, we must reiterate that the EFCC is an independent institution established by law and empowered to carry out its statutory responsibilities without interference or favour.
“The agency’s mandate is to investigate and prosecute financial crimes, irrespective of the personalities involved, their political affiliations, or their positions in society. We find it curious that the same people who claimed they want to rescue Nigeria are now the ones waging a war of attrition against accountability and probity. Those who have cases to answer before EFCC should be bold and brave enough to defend themselves if they are clean.
“President Tinubu does not issue directives to any anti-corruption agency on whom to investigate, arrest, or prosecute.
“President Tinubu has significant state issues to address rather than engage in political targeting.
“The prosecution is conducted by the court, not by any sleight of hand, and those found not guilty will receive a clean bill of health.
“Allegations of “weaponisation” are distractions from these politicians, who are running short of campaign issues to challenge President Tinubu and the APC’s success in less than three years in office.
“No one is above the law. Everyone must be accountable for their actions, both in and out of the office. Political affiliation should not be a shield against EFCC statutory work, which recently led to Nigeria’s removal from the FATF grey list.
“We have taken cognisance of the signatories to the statement. It is instructive that some of them were previously investigated and prosecuted by the EFCC even before President Tinubu took office in 2023.
“Some of these politicians have also been indicted in international financial probes for money laundering, with some of their accomplices jailed in foreign lands.
“Are they now signing statements because their chickens are coming home to roost?
“We advise those politicians not to undermine the integrity of our nation’s institutions and the collective resolve to fight corruption by weaponising politics to escape accountability and encourage impunity.
“The fight against corruption should not be trivialised by baseless allegations, jaundiced or politicised narratives.”