By Francis Ajuonuma
The immediate-past governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, is currently under interrogation at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja over alleged fraudulent cash withdrawals totalling ₦189 billion.
Multiple sources confirmed that Tambuwal, who served as Sokoto governor between 2015 and 2023 before winning the election to the Senate, arrived at the EFCC corporate headquarters at about 11:30 a.m. on Monday, where he was ushered into a closed-door session with investigators.
According to insider accounts, the interrogation revolves around a series of massive cash withdrawals allegedly made during his tenure, which investigators believe breached provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The withdrawals, EFCC sources claim, were executed without adherence to financial regulations governing public funds, with suspicions of diversion and misapplication.
As of press time, the EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, declined to confirm or deny the details of the investigation, maintaining the agency’s usual policy of withholding comments on ongoing cases.
The grilling has triggered immediate political reactions, with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) accusing the EFCC of selective prosecution and political bias.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, alleged that the anti-graft body had abandoned its statutory impartiality and was being deployed as “a political hit squad” by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to weaken opposition voices.
“The EFCC was created to be a fearless defender of the Nigerian people’s trust, applying the law evenly to all, friend or foe, ruling party or opposition. Today, that vision appears to have been compromised,” Abdullahi declared.
The party claimed that the EFCC had become “a department of the APC,” reactivating old cases against opposition leaders while allegedly dropping investigations involving ruling party members.
Abdullahi cited the case of an unnamed former governor who defected to the APC with his state’s political structure, alleging that all EFCC investigations into his administration “vanished from public view” after his defection.
“Since a certain former governor defected to the APC with his state’s entire political machinery, the EFCC’s investigations into his administration have disappeared. Not a question has been asked. Not a document leaked. Not a single update. In today’s Nigeria, one’s guilt or innocence appears to depend on party membership, not evidence,” Abdullahi added.
The ADC maintained that while corruption must be fought without compromise, the fight loses credibility when it appears to target only political opponents.
Tambuwal’s interrogation comes amid a wave of EFCC activity targeting several high-profile former governors and ministers, many of whom are now in opposition parties.
This has revived debates about whether the anti-graft war is being waged as a genuine accountability campaign or a political weapon.
Political analysts say the case could test the EFCC’s ability to demonstrate impartiality.
If evidence supports the allegations, they argue, prosecution should follow swiftly — but the same standard must apply to political allies of the ruling party.
As of Monday evening, there was no official word on whether Tambuwal would be released or detained pending further investigations.
