Atiku Finally Speaks: Reveals Why EFCC Really Arrested Tambuwal |H0T STORY

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has made a damning allegation against the Bola Tinubu-led administration, claiming the recent arrest of former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was nothing more than a politically motivated witch-hunt.

In a hard-hitting statement posted on X, Atiku accused Tinubu of turning the EFCC into a political weapon to intimidate, blackmail, and coerce opposition leaders into defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC). According to him, the so-called anti-corruption war is now being selectively applied, targeting only those who refuse to align with the ruling party.

"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 Bola Tinubu, their 'sins' are forgiven,ÔÇØ Atiku stated.

The former Vice President, who recalled that he played a key role in the creation of the EFCC during his tenure, condemned what he described as the "partisan bastardisationÔÇØ of an institution meant to uphold justice. He warned that the agency's misuse is not just a threat to democracy but also a dangerous stimulant for corruption itself.

Atiku painted a grim picture of Nigeria's political landscape, claiming that under Tinubu, anti-graft agencies have become tools for enforcing loyalty to the APC. He alleged a disturbing pattern - opposition figures are targeted with corruption charges, but the moment they decamp to the ruling party, investigations magically vanish.

"This is not how to fight corruption. This is not how to build strong institutions,ÔÇØ he stressed, accusing Tinubu of steering Nigeria towards a "one-party dictatorshipÔÇØ where dissent is crushed through fear and harassment.

Atiku urged Nigerians, civil society groups, and the international community to reject the politicisation of the EFCC and other anti-corruption bodies. He insisted that the real fight against graft must be non-partisan and transparent, not used as a weapon of political survival.

"We have in recent times witnessed the use of anti-corruption agencies in coercing political leaders into the ruling party. Our assurance to Nigerians is that we would never succumb to these anti-democratic machinations,ÔÇØ Atiku declared.

Senator Aminu Tambuwal, who served as Sokoto State governor and later became a key PDP figure in the 2023 elections, was arrested last week by the EFCC over alleged corruption during his tenure. While the agency has remained tight-lipped about the specifics, Atiku's explosive statement suggests the arrest has less to do with justice and more to do with politics.

Political analysts note that Tambuwal's close alliance with Atiku during the 2023 presidential campaign may have made him a prime target in what the opposition now calls a "political cleansingÔÇØ of Nigeria's power structure.

With this latest outburst, the battle lines between Nigeria's ruling APC and the opposition PDP appear more sharply drawn than ever - and the arrest of Tambuwal might just be the first spark in a much larger political firestorm.