In a statement issued by its acting National Publicity Secretary, Bola Abdullahi, on Tuesday, the ADC claimed the EFCC had embarked on a “choreographed media trial” designed to discredit key figures within the opposition coalition.
“The EFCC has now surreptitiously started excavating all the files from David Mark’s tenure as Senate President, 10 years after he left office,” Abdullahi said, questioning the timing of the investigations. “The pattern of ignoring APC stalwarts with fresher and well-documented cases, while targeting opposition figures with stale allegations, is proof of selective justice and an assault on political freedom.”
The ADC alleged that the crackdown was part of a ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) strategy to weaken the opposition before the next general elections. It urged Nigerians to “demand an end to this witch-hunt disguised as anti-corruption.”
According to the party, the detention of Tambuwal on Monday and the sudden invitation of Ihedioha—removed from office over five years ago—showed a coordinated attempt to intimidate opposition leaders. “These are calculated media trials,” Abdullahi said. “It matters little whether there is a basis for these accusations — the game is the circus show.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar echoed the accusations, alleging that President Bola Tinubu was weaponising the EFCC to coerce opposition figures into joining the ruling party. “The only reason the EFCC has detained Senator Aminu Tambuwal is because he is a member of the opposition coalition,” Atiku said in a Facebook post. “It is as though today, anyone who associates with the opposition is a target for phantom corruption allegations.”
Atiku argued that such practices erode the integrity of the anti-corruption fight. “This is not how to combat corruption. When it becomes a political tool, it stimulates the very vice it claims to fight,” he said.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) also condemned the EFCC’s actions, describing the agency as “an obedient lapdog deployed to do the dirty political work of the ruling APC.” HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, claimed the crackdown was aimed at “breaking the spine of the opposition before the 2027 race.”
EFCC, Presidency Push Back
The EFCC has rejected the allegations, describing them as “self-serving, diversionary, narrow and idle.” Chairman Ola Olukoyede insisted that the commission investigates corruption cases without political bias.
“If I am not condemned for investigating both former and serving ruling party governors and ministers, I should not be condemned for also investigating opposition figures,” Olukoyede said. “Fraud is fraud. Corruption is corruption. There is no sacred cow.”
Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga also distanced President Tinubu from the investigations, saying, “We are not the EFCC. You can call the EFCC to find out whether they are weaponising arrests. It’s not our business.”
Afenifere Denies Coalition Ties
Meanwhile, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere refuted claims linking it to the ADC-led coalition. National Publicity Secretary Jare Ajayi stated that while the organisation is not against any political group, it remains non-partisan.
ADC Rallies Youth Support
Marking International Youth Day 2025 in Abuja, the ADC pledged greater youth and women inclusion in governance, with 35% of leadership positions reserved for women and leadership opportunities for Nigerians under 40.
Party Interim National Chairman David Mark, represented by former APC vice chairman (North-West) Salihu Lukman, said the ADC would uphold “true democracy, rejecting imposition, favouritism, and unaccountable politics.”
National Youth Leader Balarabe Rufai decried high unemployment, poverty, and insecurity, warning that young people’s contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals were being undermined by poor governance.
“The youth of Africa cannot continue to be judged by the standards of nations whose histories, economies, and governance structures are worlds apart from ours,” Rufai said, vowing that the ADC would prioritise job creation, education funding, and community-based security.
