Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has accused the Federal Government of using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to persecute him and members of his administration over his refusal to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor made the allegation on Wednesday at the Government House in Bauchi while receiving an ambassadorial award for safety from the Institute of Safety Professionals in Nigeria.
Mohammed, who is the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, claimed that one of his commissioners was currently being detained by the EFCC, describing the action as politically motivated.
According to him, despite enjoying constitutional immunity as a sitting governor, his name had been mentioned in court proceedings, which he described as an attempt to intimidate him as the head of the opposition.
“As a governor, someone who is the head of the opposition, my commissioner has been kept and will not be released by the EFCC,” he said. “Even when I have immunity as a governor, my name was mentioned in a motion in a court of law.”
The governor said the actions of anti-graft agencies showed the extent to which politics had influenced governance and public institutions in the country.
Mohammed alleged that the APC-led Federal Government was using state institutions, including the EFCC and the courts, to harass and silence political opponents.
Insisting that he would not be forced into joining the APC, the governor said no amount of pressure would change his political position.
“I won’t allow anybody to criminalise me because I’m not in their party. I refuse to join their party, and I will not join their party,” he said.
While noting that he had remained silent in the interest of peace and security, Mohammed warned that he would no longer keep quiet if the alleged persecution continued.
He also accused the Federal Government of neglecting Bauchi State despite its access to national resources, alleging that the state had not benefited from federal road projects, water supply or adequate security support.
Mohammed further criticised Nigeria’s tax policies, warning that the current framework could worsen poverty if not reviewed.
His remarks come amid reports that the EFCC has filed fresh criminal charges against the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, and others over alleged terrorism financing involving about 9.7 million dollars.
