The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has called out the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
This is as the party accused EFCC of targeting opposition figures through selective investigations.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party alleged that recent EFCC actions against former Senate President, JDavid Mark, former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, and former Imo State Governor Emeka Ihedioha were politically motivated.
The ADC said Tambuwal, a leader in the opposition coalition, was detained overnight on Monday, while EFCC correspondence now circulating online showed that the Commission had requested Imo State Government officials to urgently provide information relating to Ihedioha’s seven-month tenure as governor from May 29, 2019, to January 14, 2020.
The party also claimed that the EFCC had begun reviewing records from Mark’s tenure as Senate President between 2007 and 2015.
According to the ADC, the timing of the investigations, years after the officials left office, raises questions about their urgency and focus.
The statement noted that Mark left the Senate presidency 10 years ago, Ihedioha left office more than five years ago, and Tambuwal completed his term as governor two years ago.
While reiterating support for the rule of law and due process, the ADC urged the EFCC to apply its anti-corruption mandate without bias or political influence.
“The detention of one of our leaders, former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, has marked the start of the crackdown intended to intimidate key leaders of the opposition and discredit them through media trials.
“As shown in an EFCC correspondence currently circulating online, the Commission has now embarked on the investigation of another coalition chieftain, former Imo Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, with an “urgent” request to the officials to provide information related specifically to his brief seven months in office.
“Most notably, the EFCC has now surreptitiously started excavating all the files from the ADC Chairman, Senator David Mark’s tenure as President of the Nigerian Senate. Let us remind Nigerians that our Party Chairman, Senator Mark, served as the Senate President for 8 years, from June 6, 2007, to June 6, 2015 — making him the longest-serving Senate President in our history. He left office 10 years and 2 months ago. Three Senate Presidents after, the EFCC suddenly remembered that he was a Senate President,” part of the statement read.
