A coalition of opposition leaders has accused the federal government of using anti-corruption agencies to intimidate and weaken political opponents, warning that the development poses a serious risk to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy. The allegation was made in a joint statement titled Anti-Corruption, Not Anti-Opposition.
The statement was signed by David Mark, chairman of the African Democratic Congress, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former minister of state for defence Lawal Batagarawa, Peoples Democratic Party board of trustees member Bode George, former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and former All Progressives Congress national chairman John Odigie-Oyegun. They said institutions such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Nigeria Police and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission were increasingly being perceived as tools of political persecution.
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The opposition figures alleged that state power was being deployed against perceived political adversaries ahead of the 2027 general election, and warned against what they described as attempts to weaken opposition-controlled states through intimidation rather than electoral competition.
They called for the immediate depoliticisation of the EFCC, urged Nigerians to resist any move towards a one-party state, and proposed an independent review of public accounts from 2015 to 2025 to strengthen public trust in anti-corruption institutions.
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