The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has dismissed claims by some political actors suggesting that the Commission’s operations are being used to target opposition politicians.
The agency described such accusations as deliberate misrepresentations of its mandate to fight corruption across all sectors of government.
In a statement released on Monday, the EFCC emphasized that its authority is derived from the Establishment Act, which empowers the Commission to investigate and prosecute all economic and financial crimes.
The only exemption, it said, applies to political officers enjoying constitutional immunity during their tenure. Beyond that, both ruling and opposition politicians, as well as non-partisan actors, are equally subject to investigation and prosecution.
“The truth about the EFCC is that it is only faithful to its mandate and nothing else.”
“This mandate is about tackling corruption and not any imaginary adversary or political motive. Claims that there is a pattern of persecution of opposition politicians are untenable,” the statement added.
The Commission noted that recent investigations have not spared strong members of the ruling party, including former governors and ministers, who face prosecution alongside opposition politicians.
According to the EFCC, corruption has no political, religious, or ethnic alignment, and selective outrage cannot shield anyone from accountability.
The agency warned against attempts to intimidate or blackmail it into abandoning investigations, insisting that any effort to confer immunity on opposition figures accused of corruption is alien to the Nigerian constitution and the law establishing the EFCC.
The statement concluded by calling on patriotic Nigerians to support the Commission in its “dignity-restoring mandate” against corruption.
