Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has accused the APC-led Federal Government of turning Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies into tools of political oppression aimed at forcing him out of opposition politics.
The governor made the fiery allegation on Wednesday at the Government House in Bauchi while accepting an ambassadorial award for safety from the Institute of Safety Professionals in Nigeria.
According to Mohammed, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is being deliberately used to harass members of his administration simply because he has refused to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
He revealed that one of his commissioners is currently in EFCC custody, insisting that the detention has nothing to do with corruption but everything to do with politics.
“I am the head of the opposition, and my commissioner has been detained and will not be released,” he said. “Even with my immunity as governor, my name was outrageously dragged into a court motion. Me, Bala Mohammed.”
The Bauchi governor, who also chairs the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum, warned that governance in Nigeria is being dangerously undermined by political interference.
He accused the Federal Government of using courts, security agencies and federal institutions to intimidate politicians who refuse to align with the ruling party.
“They believe they can criminalise anyone who is not in APC by using institutions of government,” Mohammed alleged.
Dismissing speculations that pressure might force him to switch parties, the governor insisted he would never bow to intimidation.
“I will not join their party. I will not be coerced. Nobody will criminalise me because of my political choice,” he declared.
While noting that he had kept quiet for the sake of peace and stability, Mohammed issued a stern warning that his silence would not last forever.
“If this harassment does not stop, we will no longer remain silent,” he warned.
He also accused the Federal Government of abandoning Bauchi State, claiming that despite controlling the bulk of national resources, it has failed to deliver basic infrastructure to the state.
“They have not constructed a single kilometre of road. There is no water project. Even security agencies are being funded by the state, yet they still talk,” the governor said.
The allegations have further deepened tensions between opposition governors and the APC-led Federal Government, fuelling fresh debates over the politicisation of Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign.
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