The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has raised the alarm over what it described as coordinated campaigns of calumny by politicians and interest groups seeking to derail its anti-corruption operations ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Head of Media and Publicity, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Wednesday, said disgruntled political actors with vested interests in ongoing investigations and prosecutions had recruited “paid jobbers” including politicians, academics, self-styled civil society activists and some Nigerian fugitives in the diaspora to sponsor media attacks against the EFCC and its Chairman, Ola Olukoyede.

According to the Commission, the sponsors of the campaign are pushing “phantom allegations” of political bias in a bid to intimidate the agency and force it into avoiding investigations involving opposition politicians for fear of being labelled partisan.

The EFCC warned that the smear campaign is expected to intensify as political activities heighten in the build-up to the 2027 elections.

Oyewale stressed that the EFCC is closely monitoring those involved.

“The objective is to distract the Commission from its patriotic task and intimidate it into timidity,” he said.

To him, the EFCC would not tolerate any attempt to undermine its mandate.

Reiterating the agency’s non-partisan posture, the anti-graft agency stated that both ruling and opposition party members with corruption cases are currently under investigation or facing trial, saying that no political actor is immune from its operational radar.

The Commission further emphasised that it operates strictly within the confines of its Establishment Act and the Constitution, clarifying that references to the presumption of innocence are constitutional safeguards and not a defence of any individual or group.

“The EFCC has no alliance or working relationship with any political party,” he added.

The Commission also dismissed calls for it to disclose names of politically exposed persons under investigation, warning that it would not succumb to pressure or blackmail.

“The EFCC remains committed to justice, without fear or favour, in the discharge of its mandate,” Oyewale reiterated. (The Sun)

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