The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of turning into a political tool for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) by carrying out selective investigations aimed at intimidating opposition figures.
In a statement issued on Monday, August 11, and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC alleged that the anti-graft agency’s recent activities resembled those of “a political hit squad” rather than an impartial law enforcement institution.
“In recent days, several senior members of the Opposition Coalition have received EFCC summons that are clearly politically motivated.
“These are not fresh cases arising from new evidence but new files opened in reaction to emergent political affiliations to intimidate key opposition figures.” Abdullahi said.
The party said the EFCC’s original mission — to be “a fearless defender of the Nigerian people’s trust” — has been compromised, claiming the commission now “operates like a department of the APC, deployed to fight government critics and opposition figures thereby achieving what the government cannot achieve through public debate.”
According to the ADC, investigations into allies of the ruling party often “quietly fade away,” while opposition leaders are subjected to public ridicule over “sometimes decade-old allegations” hastily revived as though they were fresh evidence.
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“This is selective prosecution, and selective prosecution is the death of justice,” the statement read.
The party alleged that political affiliation now determines whether an individual faces scrutiny or enjoys protection.
Citing an example, it claimed that after a certain former governor defected to the APC with his political machinery, “the EFCC’s investigations into his administration have vanished from public view.”
“It does not augur well for the EFCC if people think that all you need to point the accusing hands of the Commission in your direction is to stand opposed to the ruling party and all that it takes for protection is to align with the government,” Abdullahi warned.
“Unfortunately, this is the widely established perception in Nigeria today,” he added.
The ADC urged Nigerians, civil society organisations, and independent media to resist what it called a “dangerous slide into dictatorship and misuse of public institutions to achieve partisan objectives.”
“The EFCC does not belong to the APC, it belongs to the Nigerian people. It is funded by taxpayers, not the ruling party,” the party stressed.