The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of abandoning its statutory mandate and transforming into the “official attack dog” of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The group alleged that the Commission was using selective arrests and investigations to weaken the opposition in the run-up to the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, HURIWA described the EFCC’s interrogation and detention of former Sokoto State Governor and serving Senator, Aminu Tambuwal, over alleged fraudulent cash withdrawals totalling ₦189bn, as “nothing more than a politically-orchestrated smokescreen designed to intimidate and fracture the opposition coalition movement determined to unseat President Tinubu in 2027.”
The association’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the move was part of “a calculated pattern of harassment” against prominent members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC)-led opposition coalition, which recently announced its readiness to challenge Tinubu’s re-election bid.
“Every discerning Nigerian can see the handwriting on the wall. The EFCC is no longer the fearless watchdog envisioned by law; it has been reduced to an obedient lapdog, deployed to do the dirty political work of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“What we are witnessing is not the fight against corruption, but the weaponisation of anti-graft powers to intimidate, blackmail, and dismember the opposition,” HURIWA stated.
The group noted that ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, had confirmed that at least three former governors in the coalition had been summoned by the EFCC in recent days — summons the party described as politically motivated and based on stale cases rather than fresh evidence.
“This is the same EFCC that has conveniently forgotten corruption cases involving high-ranking APC members who defected from the opposition with entire state structures.
“The moment they join the ruling party, the files vanish, the media noise dies, and the investigations evaporate into thin air.
“Yet, opposition leaders with decade-old allegations are suddenly dragged back into the dock in the name of anti-corruption. This is not justice; this is selective political persecution,” Onwubiko declared.
HURIWA insisted the timing of Tambuwal’s arrest — coming just months after the coalition began strategic consultations — was “no coincidence.”
“This is a crude attempt to break the spine of the opposition before the 2027 contest even begins. It is part of a broader script to use every instrument of state – law enforcement, security agencies, and regulatory bodies – to secure Tinubu’s re-election by all crooked means,” the statement read.
The group also rejected EFCC’s claims that it is non-partisan and operates strictly within its mandate, describing the Commission’s public statements as “insulting to the intelligence of Nigerians who have watched, time and again, as the EFCC is unleashed on perceived political enemies while ruling party loyalists enjoy a shield of immunity by association.”
According to HURIWA, such conduct undermines the fight against corruption by turning it into a partisan tool. “Selective prosecution is the death of justice. When anti-corruption becomes a political sledgehammer rather than a blindfolded scale, the rule of law dies and tyranny thrives,” the group warned.
HURIWA urged Nigerians, civil society organisations, professional bodies, and the independent media to resist “a dangerous slide into one-party dictatorship,” warning that unchecked abuse of state power could permanently damage Nigeria’s democratic framework.
“The EFCC is not the property of the APC, and it certainly is not a re-election task force for Bola Tinubu. It belongs to the Nigerian people and is funded by taxpayers.
“Every time it is misused for political vendetta, it robs the nation of credibility, scares away investment, and deepens public cynicism about governance,” the statement said.
The association called on the National Assembly to urgently summon EFCC leadership to explain the rationale behind its revival of old cases against opposition figures while cases involving ruling party members remain dormant.
“It also appealed to the international community, particularly Nigeria’s democratic partners, to take note of what it called “state-sponsored political persecution masquerading as anti-corruption,” the group said.
“Today it is Tambuwal and the ADC coalition; tomorrow it will be journalists, activists, and any citizen bold enough to challenge Tinubu’s government.
“We cannot afford to normalise this abuse of power. The EFCC must return to its legal mandate or be prepared to face sustained civil and legal resistance from the Nigerian people,” Onwubiko added.
