By Chibuzo Ukaibe Abuja and Zaharadden Umar, Sokoto
Indications emerged yesterday that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may not harken to the request by a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ehiozuwa J. Agbonayinma, to reopen and prosecute a 2006 alleged financial crimes case involving former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
It was gathered that the anti-graft commission may not revive the case against Atiku when he served as vice president because of the closeness of the presidential election holding next year.
Atiku is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the January 15, 2027 election.
The former lawmaker, who also served as a member of the Code of Conduct Bureau, made the request in a petition dated August 27, 2026 and filed by his legal representatives, Sagitarian Law Firm.
The petition, exclusively obtained by LEADERSHIP Weekend, and signed by the firm’s Principal Counsel, Hannibal Egbe Uwaifo, was received at the office of the EFCC Chairman on September 1.
But Atiku, in reaction, described the renewed recycling of decades-old allegations against him as the convulsion of political opponents cornered by their own failures, unable to defend the hardship Nigerians are enduring and now desperately searching for an Atiku controversy because they cannot survive scrutiny of their own economic record.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the sudden return to allegations rooted in the political battles of the Obasanjo era was not a demonstration of strength but an admission that his opponents have run out of answers to hunger, collapsing purchasing power and the unbearable cost of living.
However, Agbonayinma dismissed suggestions that his petition was politically motivated, insisting that the move has nothing to do with the 2027 general elections but is aimed at ensuring accountability.
He said he merely reminded the anti-graft agency of an investigation previously conducted by the EFCC following a request from the United States to the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Several messages and phone calls to EFCC officials were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.
However, a source in the EFCC, who pleaded anonymity because he was authorized to speak on the matter, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the commission “is not likely to look into the petition because of its closeness to the 2027 election.”
The source noted that taking up the case at this time might be misconstrued as a political witch-hunt against the ADC presidential candidate.
Another source in the commission, who also asked not be to named, simply said, “Let’s wait and see. But there is nothing indicating that the commission is looking into the case at the moment.”
Recall that five days to the August 15 Osun State governorship election, the EFCC froze the accounts of the state government over alleged fraudulent activities amounting to N11 billion, attracting uproar from many Nigerians.
However, President Tinubu directed the EFCC to immediately vacate the court order and discontinue its action on the state government’s account.
Reacting to the unfolding saga, ADC party chairman for Tambuwal Local Government Area in Sokoto State, Bello Ibrahim Tambuwal (Dan-Marafa), said any investigation the EFCC conducts into Atiku will amount to a politically motivated witch-hunt, driven by the APC government’s anticipation of defeat in the upcoming election.
He noted that Atiku’s immense popularity among Nigerians—coupled with his stance on restoring fuel subsidies, reopening borders, reinstating Hajj subsidies, and addressing insecurity—has rattled and alarmed the Tinubu administration.
He pointed out that in the 19 years since Atiku left office as Vice President, neither the EFCC nor the ICPC initiated an investigation against him until now, on the eve of the election; this indicates that the ruling party is attempting to intimidate and weaken the opposition, though such tactics will prove ineffective.
According to him, any efforts by the ruling party or other groups regarding this investigation are misguided, as the move has only boosted Atiku’s popularity and acceptance at a time when the public is increasingly becoming disillusioned with APC governance.
