Presidency dismisses opposition claims, defends EFCC, APC defections

The Presidency has dismissed allegations by opposition politicians accusing President Bola Tinubu of undermining multiparty democracy and weaponising anti-corruption agencies, describing the claims as desperate attempts to find scapegoats for political failures.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said the opposition figures raising the allegations belonged to “a dying political party” and a group of failed political aspirants struggling to gain relevance.

Onanuga said the opposition’s complaints followed a recent gathering where they alleged that Nigeria’s democracy was under threat because prominent politicians were defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He maintained that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees freedom of association, stressing that politicians joining the APC were doing so voluntarily and without coercion.

“None of the people who joined the governing APC was pressured to do so. They acted of their own free will, motivated by the noticeable gains of President Bola Tinubu’s reform programme,” the statement said.

The Presidency questioned why similar concerns were not raised when politicians defected in large numbers to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between 2000 and 2015, asking whether democracy was then considered imperilled.

On allegations that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was being used to target political opponents, the Presidency said the anti-graft agency is an independent institution established by law and empowered to carry out its duties without interference.

While noting that it does not speak on behalf of the EFCC, the Presidency emphasised that the agency has the mandate to investigate and prosecute financial crimes regardless of political affiliation or status.

“The President does not issue directives to any anti-corruption agency on whom to investigate, arrest or prosecute,” Onanuga said, adding that President Tinubu is focused on addressing pressing national issues rather than political targeting.

He further stated that those with cases before the EFCC should defend themselves if they are innocent, noting that prosecutions are conducted by courts and not by political manipulation.

The Presidency described claims of “weaponisation” of the EFCC as distractions by politicians running out of campaign issues to challenge the administration, insisting that no one is above the law.

It also noted that the EFCC’s work recently contributed to Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, underscoring the importance of accountability.

According to the statement, some of the opposition figures who signed the complaint had been investigated or prosecuted by the EFCC even before President Tinubu assumed office in 2023, while others had been implicated in international financial crimes, with associates jailed abroad.

“Are they now raising alarms because their chickens are coming home to roost?” the statement queried.

The Presidency urged politicians not to undermine national institutions or politicise the fight against corruption in a bid to evade accountability, stressing that combating corruption is a collective responsibility that should not be trivialised by what it described as baseless and politicised narratives.