By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has rejected allegations that it is being weaponised against opposition politicians, describing recent claims of politicisation as a deliberate attempt by some political actors to shield themselves from corruption investigations.
The commission said accusations ranging from ‘weaponisation of the EFCC’ to ‘erosion of its independence’ and ‘persecution of opposition politicians’ amount to a misrepresentation of its statutory responsibilities and a distraction from its core mandate of tackling economic and financial crimes.
The clarification was contained in a statement signed by Dele Oyewale, Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, who said the Commission remains guided strictly by the provisions of its Establishment Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to the EFCC, its mandate is clear and non-negotiable: to investigate and prosecute economic and financial crimes without regard to political affiliation, ethnicity, religion or status, except where constitutional immunity applies to serving political office holders.
“The Commission’s weapon is its Establishment Act which provides the ground norm of its activities,” the EFCC said.
It explained that the law empowers the Commission to investigate and prosecute all suspects of corruption, stressing that immunity applies only to specific political office holders during their tenure and not to party members or opposition figures as a class.
The EFCC said records of arrests and prosecutions over the last two years under its current leadership contradict allegations of selectivity, noting that prominent figures from both the ruling party and opposition parties have been subjected to investigation and prosecution.
“Strong members of the ruling party such as former governors, ministers and others not publicly known are sharing tables with a motley number of opposition politicians and other suspects,” Oyewale said.
The Commission dismissed claims of a ‘discernible pattern of persecution of the opposition’ allegedly designed to weaken political rivals for the benefit of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the assertions as untenable and unsupported by facts.
It questioned the rationale behind portraying lawful investigations as persecution, asking whether suspects accused of corruption should be exempt from scrutiny on the basis of political alignment.
“Where is persecution in asking a suspect of corrupt practice to account for his sleaze?” the EFCC asked.
The anti-graft agency stressed that offences such as stealing, embezzlement of public funds, contract fraud and money laundering cannot be excused under any circumstance, warning that selective outrage cannot serve as a defence against criminal investigation.
The EFCC argued that the real threat to Nigeria’s democracy does not lie in the enforcement of anti-corruption laws, but in attempts to intimidate or blackmail the Commission into abandoning investigations for fear of political backlash.
“What threatens democracy is not the EFCC doing its job, but the attempt to intimidate or blackmail it into abandoning investigation allegations against corrupt opposition politicians,” Oyewale said.
The anti-graft agency accused some opposition figures of seeking to confer immunity on themselves by framing corruption investigations as political persecution after losing power, describing such efforts as alien to both the Constitution and the EFCC’s enabling law.
“This gambit is far from altruistic and is aimed at conferring immunity from prosecution on politicians who suddenly find themselves in the opposition,” the Commission said.
The EFCC maintained that it would not yield to pressure or be railroaded into conducting inconclusive investigations simply to appear non-selective, adding that calls to amend its enabling Act to satisfy what it described as the whims of a disgruntled section of the political class should be approached with caution.
“The Commission won’t succumb to blackmail or be railroaded into inconclusive investigations just to be seen to be non-selective,” it said.
The Commission called on reform-minded and patriotic Nigerians to support its anti-corruption drive, describing the fight against graft as a collective responsibility essential to restoring national dignity.
“We enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians to join hands with the EFCC in this dignity-restoring mandate,” Oyewale added.
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