Former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of using state institutions to suppress the opposition rather than genuinely fighting corruption.
In a statement on his official Facebook page earlier today, Atiku condemned the recent arrest of Professor Usman Yusuf, a well-known social critic. He suggested that Yusuf’s detention was politically motivated, pointing out that the allegations against him stemmed from the previous administration.
“The Tinubu government, despite being riddled with individuals facing various scandals and investigations both locally and internationally, continues to use state power to silence its critics,” Atiku stated.
He further criticized the administration for allegedly protecting its allies under investigation while aggressively targeting opposition figures.
“It is absurd that while the administration shelters those under investigation, it continues to exploit state institutions to stifle dissent, all under the false pretense of combating corruption,” he added.
Atiku argued that the government’s real objective is not to fight corruption but to weaken political opponents, manipulating legal and security systems for political gain.
“Even to the most inattentive, it has become glaringly clear that Tinubu is not waging a war on corruption, he is waging a war on the opposition, manipulating the system for his own political advantage,” he concluded.
His statement comes amid growing concerns over what many see as the systematic suppression of opposition voices under President Tinubu’s administration.
On Monday, January 27, 2024, Omoyele Sowore, the convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, honored a police invitation and was questioned at the Force Criminal Investigation Department. Though granted administrative bail, he rejected the conditions and remained in custody.
The police subsequently filed a 16-count cybercrime charge against him. On Thursday, a court granted Sowore bail set at ₦10 million, requiring one surety of the same amount. The surety must provide original land ownership documents and a passport photograph to the court registrar.
In his ruling, Justice Musa Liman ordered Sowore to surrender his international passport and gave him 24 hours to meet the bail conditions or remain in police custody.
Another vocal critic of the Tinubu administration, Professor Usman Yusuf, former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), was arrested on Wednesday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged fraud.
Yusuf was set to be arraigned on Friday, but the EFCC postponed the proceedings to Monday to amend the charges. The EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed this development.
During the court session, defence counsel Isah Dokto Haruna, representing lead counsel O.I. Habeeb (SAN), applied for bail, but the court rejected the request due to the delayed arraignment.
Justice Nwecheonwu adjourned the case to February 3, 2025, for arraignment and ordered that Yusuf remain in EFCC custody until then.
