The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has pushed back against allegations by some political actors that its operations have been weaponized to persecute opposition politicians and weaken alternative political structures in the country.

In a statement released on Monday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the anti-graft agency described the accusations as a deliberate misrepresentation of its mandate, insisting that it remains faithful only to the law and not to any political interest.

The Commission was reacting to a recent media statement by a group of politicians who accused the agency of the weaponisation of the EFCC, erosion of independence and a discernible pattern of persecution aimed at benefiting the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Dismissing the claims of selectivity, the EFCC argued that its records over the last two years exonerate it from bias.

The Commission stated that high-profile members of the ruling party are currently facing prosecution alongside their counterparts in the opposition.

“A check list of arrests and prosecution by the Commission in the last two years under the current leadership shows that strong members of the ruling party such as former governors, ministers and others not publicly known are sharing tables with a motley number of opposition politicians as well,” the statement read.

The agency emphasized that its Establishment Act mandates the investigation of all economic and financial crimes, noting that the only exception to prosecution is for political officers granted constitutional immunity during their tenure.

The EFCC queried the logic of the opposition’s complaints, asking whether demanding accountability for public funds constitutes persecution.

“Where is persecution in asking a suspect of corrupt practice to account for his sleaze?” the statement queried. “Is stealing, embezzlement of public funds, contract fraud, money laundering and other corrupt practices excusable for some? Corruption has no gender, religion, tribe, political party or other extraneous alignment.”

The Commission maintained that selective outrage cannot serve as a defense against criminal investigation, adding that the real threat to democracy is the attempt to intimidate or blackmail the agency into abandoning investigations against corrupt politicians for fear of being labelled partisan.

The EFCC further alleged that the outcry from the political class is a strategic move to confer immunity on themselves simply because they belong to the opposition—a gambit it described as alien to the Nigerian Constitution.

“What the so-called opposition politicians are seeking to achieve in this assault against the EFCC is far from altruistic, but a veiled attempt to confer immunity from prosecution for alleged corruption on politicians who suddenly find themselves in the opposition,” Oyewale stated.

The Commission vowed not to succumb to blackmail or be railroaded into inconclusive investigations to prove its neutrality.

It also cautioned against calls to amend its enabling Act to soothe the whims of a disgruntled section of the political class, warning that such moves would not be in the national interest.

The EFCC called on reform-minded Nigerians to support its efforts in restoring the nation’s dignity through the fight against graft.