Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly condemned the detention of former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, describing it as part of an alleged broader campaign by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to weaken the opposition and edge Nigeria toward a one-party state.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Atiku accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of being weaponized by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to intimidate and coerce political opponents.
“The only reason the EFCC has detained Senator Tambuwal is because he is a member of the opposition Coalition,” Atiku stated. “It is a continuation of the Tinubu-led administration’s agenda to harass, intimidate, and decimate the opposition.”
Atiku, who served as Vice President from 1999 to 2007, lamented what he described as the politicization of the anti-corruption fight, asserting that under the current administration, corruption allegations have become tools to blackmail opponents into defecting to the ruling party.
“It is as though today, 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 Tinubu, their ‘sins’ are forgiven,” he said.
The former Vice President also expressed concern over what he called a dangerous precedent of opposition governors being pressured to join the APC under threat of EFCC prosecution. He warned that such tactics undermine democratic institutions and fuel a culture of impunity.
“Our assurance to Nigerians is that we would never succumb to these anti-democratic machinations of railroading our people into a one-party dictatorship,” Atiku said, calling on civil society and the international community to condemn what he views as a distortion of Nigeria’s democratic values.
The EFCC has not publicly responded to the allegations as of the time of this report.
