Bauchi Governor accuses FG of using EFCC to target opposition leaders

By Johnson Arua

Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has accused the Federal Government of using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to “persecute” him and members of his cabinet for refusing to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Governor Mohammed made the allegation on Wednesday at the Bauchi Government House while receiving an ambassadorial award for safety from the Institute of Safety Professionals in Nigeria.

The remarks follow the EFCC’s arraignment on Tuesday of Yakubu Adamu, Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, over alleged N5.79 billion money laundering.

Adamu is accused of conspiring with Ishaku Mohammed Aliyu, Managing Director of I.S. Makayye Investment Resources Limited, and one Muntaka Duguri, both of whom remain at large, to launder N4.65 billion between June and December 2023.

Speaking on the issue, Governor Mohammed lamented that despite constitutional immunity, his name was mentioned in the EFCC motion targeting members of his administration. “Even with my immunity as a governor, my name—Bala Mohammed—was stupendously mentioned in a court motion. I woke up to a notification accusing me of terrorism,” he said.

He added that the APC-led Federal Government believes it can use institutions like the EFCC and the courts to prosecute Nigerians who are not members of their party.

As chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Mohammed said he would not succumb to pressure. “If they don’t stop, we are going to declare war. I won’t allow anybody to criminalise me because I refuse to join their party,” he stated.

He also criticised the federal government for failing to deliver tangible projects in Bauchi, saying, “In my state, they have not provided one kilometre of road or water, yet they still interfere.”

He further condemned plans to implement new tax laws without resolving concerns over alterations in the gazetted copy.