Presidency Fires Back At Opposition, Says Anti-Corruption Fight Not A Political Tool

The Presidency, on Sunday, pushed back strongly against allegations by opposition politicians that President Bola Tinubu was undermining multi-party democracy and weaponising anti-corruption agencies, describing the claims as subterfuge, scapegoating and a desperate search for cheap political gains.

In a statement titled “A Failed Opposition Engaging in Subterfuge and the Empty Search for Scapegoats,” the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed the opposition figures as “amusing lots” drawn from what he described as a dying political party and failed political office aspirants regrouping on a platform still struggling to find its bearings.

Onanuga said the opposition’s claims followed a gathering of some of their figures on Sunday, where they alleged that Nigeria’s democracy was under threat because prominent politicians were defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He stressed that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees freedom of association, including the right of citizens to change their political affiliations at any time.

“None of the people who joined the governing APC was pressured to do so. They all did so of their own free will,” the statement said, adding that many of the defectors were motivated by the “noticeable gains” of President Tinubu’s reform programme.

The Presidency questioned whether democracy was ever considered imperilled when politicians moved in large numbers to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between 2000 and 2015.

The statement also addressed claims that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was being used to target opposition figures, noting that ongoing investigations had exposed politicians who have explanations to give regarding their stewardship in office and the management of public funds entrusted to them.

While emphasising that the Presidency does not speak for the EFCC, Onanuga reiterated that the anti-graft agency 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,” the statement said.

The Presidency described it as curious that some politicians who claimed they wanted to rescue Nigeria were now waging what it termed a “war of attrition” against accountability and probity.

It urged anyone with cases before the EFCC to defend themselves if they are clean, stressing that President Tinubu does not issue directives to any anti-corruption agency on whom to investigate, arrest or prosecute.

According to the statement, the President has more pressing state issues to address than engaging in political targeting.

Onanuga further noted that prosecutions are conducted by the courts, not through “any sleight of hand,” and that those found not guilty would receive a clean bill of health.

He described allegations of EFCC “weaponisation” as distractions by politicians who are running short of campaign issues to challenge what he called the APC’s successes in less than three years in office.

Reaffirming that no one is above the law, the Presidency said political affiliation should not serve as a shield against the statutory work of the EFCC, noting that the agency’s recent efforts contributed to Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.

The statement also revealed that some of the signatories to the opposition statement had previously been investigated and prosecuted by the EFCC even before President Tinubu assumed office in 2023.

It added that some of the politicians had been indicted in international financial probes for money laundering, with some of their accomplices jailed abroad.

“Are they now signing statements because their chickens are coming home to roost?” the Presidency asked.

The statement warned opposition figures against undermining the integrity of national institutions and politicising the fight against corruption to escape accountability or encourage impunity.

“The fight against corruption is a collective responsibility and should not be trivialised by baseless allegations, jaundiced or politicised narratives,” Onanuga said.