Senior opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Senate President David Mark and former All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun, have warned President Bola Tinubu against actions they say could push Nigeria toward a one-party state.
In a joint statement on Monday, the opposition leaders accused the Tinubu administration of allowing state institutions, particularly anti-corruption and security agencies, to be perceived as tools for intimidating political opponents ahead of the 2027 general election.
The statement was also signed by former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Bode George, and Mallam Lawal Batagarawa. The signatories expressed concern that key national institutions were increasingly being viewed as instruments of selective justice rather than impartial bodies committed to the rule of law.
They alleged that there was a covert effort to bring all state governments under the control of the ruling party through pressure exerted via anti-graft investigations, rather than through open electoral competition. According to them, opposition governors and influential political figures were the main targets.
The leaders cited the recent wave of defections of opposition governors to the APC as reinforcing public suspicion that coercion, rather than political conviction, was behind the defections.
They further alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was vulnerable to political manipulation, claiming that allegations against members of the ruling party were often ignored or stalled, while opposition figures were subjected to swift investigations and intense public scrutiny.
Recalling past remarks by a former APC national chairman suggesting that defectors’ “sins” were forgiven upon joining the ruling party, the opposition leaders said such comments had come to symbolise what many Nigerians see as selective enforcement of anti-corruption laws.
The statement warned that the perceived politicisation of anti-graft agencies could undermine public trust in state institutions and fuel instability as the country approaches another election cycle.
The opposition figures called for urgent reforms, including the depoliticisation of the EFCC and safeguards to prevent Nigeria from sliding into what they described as a de facto one-party state.
They proposed embedding anti-graft operatives into government payment and expenditure processes at all levels of government, citing a Supreme Court ruling affirming the EFCC’s oversight powers over public accounts. They also called for the establishment of an independent review body to examine public accounts from 2015 to 2025 and recommend reforms to strengthen the EFCC’s enabling law.
The leaders said the proposed body should be chaired by a retired judge and include representatives of civil society, professional bodies, security agencies, anti-graft institutions and political parties represented in the National Assembly.
They also disclosed plans to engage Nigeria’s international partners and diplomatic missions in the coming weeks to raise concerns about what they described as the growing politicisation of anti-corruption institutions and to advocate reforms aimed at protecting Nigeria’s democracy.
