The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of engaging in a politically motivated campaign against opposition leaders, naming its Interim National Chairman and former Senate President, David Mark, as the agency’s latest target.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its Acting National Publicity Secretary, Bola Abdullahi, the ADC claimed the EFCC had embarked on a “choreographed media trial” of prominent coalition figures. The allegations come after the detention of former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, on Monday and the recent invitation of former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha.
“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 and intent of the investigations. He alleged that the agency was ignoring “fresher and well-documented” cases involving All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwarts while focusing on stale allegations against opposition politicians.
ADC Links Crackdown to 2027 Elections
The ADC alleged that the investigations were part of the APC’s broader strategy to weaken the opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections. According to Abdullahi, the detention of Tambuwal marked the beginning of a targeted crackdown aimed at intimidating and discrediting opposition leaders through orchestrated media coverage.
Highlighting Ihedioha’s brief tenure as governor—only seven months between May 2019 and January 2020—the ADC questioned the sudden urgency to probe his administration after more than five years. Abdullahi described the EFCC’s moves as “calculated media trials” designed to plant corruption allegations in the public mind regardless of their validity.
“Having failed to stop the coalition, the jittery ruling party’s next move is to discredit its leaders by getting the EFCC to accuse them of looting the entire treasuries,” Abdullahi said. He called on Nigerians to demand an immediate end to what he termed a “witch-hunt disguised as anti-corruption.”
Atiku, HURIWA Join in Condemnation
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also weighed in, accusing President Bola Tinubu of weaponising the fight against corruption to coerce opposition figures into joining the APC. In a statement on his verified Facebook page, Atiku said Tambuwal’s detention was a continuation of the administration’s alleged campaign to “harass, intimidate, and decimate the opposition.”
“It is as though anyone who associates with the opposition is a target for phantom corruption allegations, and as soon as they are coerced into the political agenda of President Tinubu, their ‘sins’ are forgiven,” Atiku wrote. He warned that politicising anti-corruption efforts would only embolden corrupt practices rather than curb them.
Similarly, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) criticised the EFCC, describing it as “an obedient lapdog” doing the APC’s political bidding. National Coordinator Emmanuel Onwubiko said the investigations were aimed at “breaking the spine of the opposition before the 2027 race,” lamenting that the commission had strayed from its founding vision of impartial justice.
EFCC, Presidency Reject Allegations
The EFCC has dismissed the accusations as “self-serving, diversionary, narrow and idle.” In a statement, Chairman Ola Olukoyede stressed that the commission’s mandate was to investigate corruption without fear or favour.
“If I am not condemned for investigating ruling party governors and ministers, I should not be condemned for investigating opposition figures. Fraud is fraud. Corruption is corruption. There is no sacred cow,” Olukoyede said. He noted that politicians from across the political spectrum were facing charges in court and that some ruling party members were also under investigation.
Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga distanced President Tinubu from the investigations, insisting that the presidency had no control over the EFCC’s operational decisions. “We are not the EFCC, we represent the President here,” Onanuga told The PUNCH. “You can call the EFCC to find out whether they are weaponising any arrests. It’s not our business.”
ADC Vows Youth Inclusion Amid Political Storm
Amid the political tensions, the ADC reaffirmed its commitment to increasing youth participation in governance. Speaking during the party’s International Youth Day event in Abuja on Tuesday, David Mark and National Youth Leader Balarabe Rufai pledged to integrate young Nigerians into the party’s activities, programmes, and policymaking processes.
The International Youth Day, observed annually on August 12, seeks to highlight youth-related challenges while celebrating their contributions to societal development. The 2025 theme, “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond,” emphasises the role of young people in transforming global goals into impactful community initiatives.
Mark assured that the ADC’s policies would prioritise youth empowerment, while Rufai called on Nigerian youths to see themselves as “indispensable partners in nation-building” rather than passive observers in political affairs
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