Leading Northern Nigerian voices have started to respond to the arrest of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the former governor of Sokoto State, calling it a situation that may have significant political ramifications.
While some northern politicians believe the arrest is a form of political witch-hunting, others maintain that the law must be applied regardless of status.
Remember how the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested Aminu Tambuwal on Monday to quiz him about alleged ₦189 billion in fraudulent cash withdrawals?
At approximately 11 a.m. on Monday, Tambuwal, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives and two-term governor of Sokoto State, visited the EFCC offices in Abuja, where he was arrested and questioned by detectives.
He allegedly made large cash withdrawals while serving as governor, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, according to analysts.
Numerous people and organizations have denounced the arrest. Both the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) characterized it as politically motivated.
While Peter Obi, a former presidential candidate for the Labour Party, criticized the arrest and stated that Nigeria’s fight against corruption must be fair and open, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar accused the Tinubu administration of employing the EFCC to harass and intimidate the opposition. In addition, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) denounced the action as a partisan ploy that erodes public confidence.
But the EFCC insisted that it has a nonpartisan mandate and has been cautious and objective in its work. It emphasized that whether the suspects belong to the opposition or the ruling party, the law is working its course.
Mahdi Shehu, a Northern activist and pundit, accused the anti-graft agency of political prejudice in an exclusive interview, describing the arrest of former Sokoto State governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as proof that the EFCC was dancing nude.
“If this isn’t political, why arrest him now when the EFCC is protecting members of the National Assembly accused of fraud, including Godswill Akpabio, Bello Matawalle, Aliyu Wamakko, and some serving ministers who are on criminal trials?”
He claimed that the agency only targets politicians from other parties, shielding those who are already members of or intend to join the APC.
The EFCC allegedly turned a blind eye to a number of high-profile corruption cases, Shehu said.
From 2017 to 2023, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) failed to account for ₦210 trillion, according to the Senate Public Accounts Committee.
NNPCL is a no-go region, thus in this instance, the EFCC faked and entered Siesta. Shehu stated that the senior petroleum minister is always the president.
The missing $7 billion (₦10.4 trillion) for turnaround maintenance of refineries in Kaduna, Warri, and Port Harcourt, as well as payments of “fraudulent millions per month” to consultants at the Central Bank of Nigeria, were also highlighted by him.
According to him, “the EFCC put cotton wool in both ears because those involved have powerful backers in the kitchen.”
Shehu also questioned why Bayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power, has not been looked into by the EFCC about his recent online display of a multibillion-naira house.
He was just scraping by before Tinubu appointed him. His most recent construction is known as Government House No. 2. “But the EFCC will never have the courage, audacity, guts, or liver to touch him,” he stated.
He said that the hunter will soon become the hunted and accused the EFCC of operating a convenient system that makes some Nigerians more Nigerian than others, much as in Animal Farm.
Moreover, in an interview, former Kano House of Assembly candidate Adnan Mukhtar Tudunwada called Tambuwal’s EFCC detention “purely political” and “very unfortunate.”
He charged that in its battle against corruption, the anti-graft agency had abandoned impartiality and equity.
In his words, “opposition figures are harassed and intimidated, while many members of the APC are also accused of corruption but are never invited for questioning.”
Tambuwal’s recent criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, according to Adnan, is connected to the move. He also said that the EFCC’s efforts to combat corruption are selective and devoid of honesty and transparency.
Rabiu Musa, a public affairs advocate, stated that individuals should be truthful and concentrate on the alleged crime when it comes to legal violations, regardless of whether they are political in nature.
“Did Tambuwal do anything that prompted his arrest? He stated in an interview that people ought to look past politics.
