The presidency has dismissed allegations by opposition figures that anti-corruption agencies are being deployed to harass political rivals.
Opposition leaders, speaking as a coalition on Sunday, alleged that the federal government was using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intimidate and politically weaken opponents — a development they said threatens Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.
A statement by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, described the claims as excuses by politicians who have “failed to address their own political shortcomings.”
He rejected suggestions that Nigeria’s democracy is under strain because politicians are defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting such arguments lack merit.
“Our constitution guarantees freedom of association and affords our people the right to change their political leanings at any time of their choosing,” the statement reads.
“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.”
Onanuga questioned whether similar concerns were raised about democratic stability when politicians moved in large numbers to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between 2000 and 2015.
He said investigations currently being conducted by the EFCC have uncovered public office holders who must explain how they managed resources entrusted to them.
According to him, politicians facing scrutiny are now portraying the president as using the EFCC as a political tool.
“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,” Onanuga said.
“The agency’s mandate is to investigate and prosecute financial crimes, irrespective of the personalities involved, their political affiliations, or their positions in society.”
The presidential aide said it was ironic that individuals who once claimed to be committed to rescuing Nigeria are now opposing accountability and transparency.
He noted that anyone facing allegations should confront the process confidently rather than resorting to public accusations.
“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,” he said.
“Those who have cases to answer before EFCC should be bold and brave enough to defend themselves if they are clean.”
According to him, Tinubu does not direct any anti-corruption agency on whom to investigate, arrest, or prosecute.
He added that the president remains focused on tackling national challenges rather than targeting political opponents.
Onanuga said the courts, not political actors, determine guilt or innocence, noting that individuals cleared by the judiciary would be vindicated.
He described the allegations of EFCC weaponisation as distractions from politicians who are struggling to articulate credible campaign messages.
Onanuga said political affiliation does not place anyone above the law or exempt them from scrutiny.
“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,” he added.
“Some of these politicians have also been indicted in international financial probes for money laundering, with some of their accomplices jailed in foreign lands.”