The Presidency has dismissed allegations by opposition figures that the Federal Government is undermining multiparty democracy and weaponising anti-corruption agencies against political opponents.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, described the claims as an attempt by opposition politicians to deflect attention from their political setbacks and ongoing investigations.
The Presidency said recent defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were voluntary and protected by constitutional guarantees of freedom of association.
According to the statement, no individual was coerced into joining the APC, adding that many politicians were attracted by what it described as the gains of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reform agenda.
The Presidency rejected suggestions that the movement of politicians into the ruling party posed a threat to democracy, arguing that similar political realignments occurred during the dominance of the Peoples Democratic Party between 2000 and 2015 without raising concerns about democratic collapse.
Addressing allegations that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is being used to target opposition figures, the Presidency maintained that the anti-graft agency operates independently under the law.
“The EFCC is an independent institution empowered to investigate and prosecute financial crimes regardless of political affiliation or social status,” the statement said.
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It added that President Tinubu does not direct the EFCC on whom to investigate or prosecute, noting that judicial processes determine guilt or innocence.
The Presidency said individuals facing investigation should present their defence through legal channels rather than politicising accountability efforts.
It also noted that some of the critics raising allegations against the government had been investigated or prosecuted by the EFCC prior to President Tinubu’s assumption of office in 2023, while others had been linked to international money-laundering cases.
The statement further stressed that Nigeria’s recent removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list underscored the credibility of the country’s anti-corruption framework.
Reaffirming the administration’s stance, the Presidency said no individual is above the law and warned against undermining national institutions through what it described as politically motivated narratives.
