The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has issued a stern warning about what it describes as coordinated campaigns of calumny being orchestrated against it by opposition politicians ahead of the 2027 general elections.
EFCC Spokesman Details the Alleged Plot
In a statement released on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, via its official X handle, @officialEFCC, the anti-graft agency's spokesman, Dele Oyewale, laid out the allegations. Oyewale claimed that politicians, academics, some civil society activists, and even Nigerian fugitives abroad have been recruited to launch sustained attacks on the Commission's credibility.
The primary target of these alleged sponsored media attacks is the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede. The campaigns aim to smear him with phantom allegations of political bias in how the EFCC carries out its mandate of investigating and prosecuting financial crimes.
Objective: To Intimidate and Cripple Investigations
According to the EFCC, the motive behind these attacks is clear. Their objective is to befuddle the works of the Commission, and through scaremongering, intimidate the commission into a timid mode, the statement read. The agency believes the goal is to make it hesitant to investigate opposition figures for fear of being labelled as partisan by the public.
The Commission specifically pointed to politicians and groups with vested interests in suspects currently under its scrutiny. It alleges these elements are plotting to bring down the EFCC to derail ongoing probes and prosecutions.
Expect More Attacks as 2027 Elections Approach
The EFCC anticipates that this smear campaign will only intensify as the country moves closer to the 2027 polls. This campaign is likely to intensify as the political space becomes charged, in the months leading to the 2027 general election, Oyewale stated.
This alert from Nigeria's foremost anti-corruption agency sets the stage for what could be a highly contentious pre-election period, where the independence and actions of law enforcement bodies are often heavily politicized.
