The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has protested the arrest and detention of former Governor of Sokoto State Senator Aminu Waziru Tambuwal over an alleged N189 billion fraudulent cash withdrawal.
Tambuwal, who arrived at the EFCC’s headquarters around 11:30 am on Monday, was still facing interrogators on the alleged financial crime has at press time.
He is expected to give details of alleged questionable cash withdrawals during his tenure as governor of Sokoto State.
EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, failed to comment on the issue when contacted.
However, EFCC sources, who confirmed the arrest to LEADERSHIP, said, “He is being held over alleged fraudulent cash withdrawals to the tune of N189 billion.
The withdrawals are a flagrant violation of the Money Laundering( Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022. We have isolated all the allegations for Tambuwal; he is left to respond. “
But ADC has issued a stern warning to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing the anti-graft agency of acting as a political weapon for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and engaging in selective investigations targeting opposition figures.
In a statement issued to journalists yesterday in Abuja by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC condemned what it described as a disturbing pattern of politically motivated actions by the EFCC. The statement said the agency erodes public trust and undermines its core mandate of fighting corruption.
“In recent days, several senior members of the Opposition Coalition have received EFCC summons that are politically motivated,” the statement read. “These are not fresh cases arising from new evidence, but new files opened in reaction to emergent political affiliations, aimed at intimidating key opposition figures.”
The ADC accused the EFCC of reopening old, previously closed cases and reviving decade-old allegations to suppress dissent and muzzle political opposition.
The party pointed to a stark contrast in treating opposition leaders and ruling party members.
“We have observed how investigations into ruling party allies quietly fade away, while opposition figures are dragged before the court of public opinion. This is selective prosecution — and selective prosecution is the death of justice,” Abdullahi said.
The party cited the case of a former governor who, according to the ADC, had pending corruption investigations dropped after defecting to the APC.
“No question has been asked. Not a document leaked. Not a single update,” the statement alleged, highlighting what it called “a dangerous double standard.”
The ADC also expressed concern over what it described as an increasingly authoritarian tilt in the government’s approach to dissent, warning that using public institutions to pursue political objectives undermines democracy.
“It does not augur well for the EFCC if people believe that all it takes to draw the Commission’s attention is to oppose the ruling party — and all it takes for protection is to align with the government,” the statement noted.
Calling for nationwide vigilance, the ADC urged civil society organisations, the independent media, and all Nigerians to resist the politicisation of state institutions.
“The EFCC does not belong to the APC. It belongs to the Nigerian people. Taxpayers, not the ruling party, fund it,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, the Senate has maintained a deafening silence over Senator Aminu Tambuwal (PDP, Sokoto South)’s arrest on Monday by the EFCC in connection with an alleged N189 billion fraud.
LEADERSHIP reports that Tambuwal was immediately detained at the EFCC facility for further interrogation.
He is expected to respond to investigators over cash withdrawals made during his tenure as Governor of Sokoto State.
Sketchy reports allege that he fraudulently withdrew cash amounting to N189 billion.
Tambuwal, a lawyer by training, was a former Speaker of the House of Representatives before serving as Governor of Sokoto State for eight years under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He was said to have voluntarily honoured the EFCC invitation but was detained immediately upon his arrival at the Commission’s office at 11:30 a.m.
The withdrawals are said to have violated the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
However, efforts to get reactions from Senate spokespersons and other officials proved abortive, as both the Senate Spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Senator Emmanuel Udende, did not respond to calls.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has grilled former Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal over suspicious cash withdrawals of N189 billion.
One of Tambuwal’s media aides when he was Governor, Abubakar Shekarau, confirmed Tambuwal’s invitation by the EFCC.
He said, “If no one alleges any form of financial impropriety against Aminu Waziri Tambuwal in almost the last two decades as a House of Representatives Speaker, and Governor of Sokoto State, I wonder why now?
“We will, however, refrain from joining issue (s) with anyone and allow EFCC to do their work.
“We have confidence in his credibility and are very sure he will come out clean,” Abu Shekarau stated.
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