EFCC Raises Alarm Over Alleged Campaigns of Calumny Ahead of 2027 Elections

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has raised the alarm over what it described as planned campaigns of calumny aimed at discrediting the Commission and its leadership.

In a statement on Tuesday, the anti-graft agency alleged that some politicians and interest groups with stakes in ongoing investigations and prosecutions have recruited individuals to mount coordinated media attacks against the EFCC and its Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede.

According to the Commission, the group behind the alleged plot comprises politicians, academics, self-styled civil society activists and some Nigerian fugitives based in the diaspora. The EFCC said they are pushing what it termed “phantom allegations” of political bias to undermine the agency’s work.

The Commission stated that the objective of the alleged campaign is to distract and intimidate it, and to pressure the agency into avoiding investigations of opposition politicians for fear of being labelled partisan.

The EFCC warned that the campaign is expected to intensify as the country moves closer to the 2027 general elections, when political activities are likely to heighten.

“The Commission wishes to put those recruited into this ignoble enterprise on notice that their activities are under close watch,” the statement said, adding that the EFCC would not tolerate any attempt to derail it from its mandate of promoting public accountability.

Reaffirming its neutrality, the EFCC stressed that it operates strictly within the confines of its Establishment Act and does not align with any political party. It noted that members of both the ruling party and opposition parties are currently under investigation or facing trial for alleged corruption-related offences.

The agency also clarified that references to the constitutional presumption of innocence in its public communications should not be misconstrued as a defence of any suspect, but rather as adherence to the rule of law.

The EFCC further stated that it would not succumb to pressure or blackmail to publicly disclose the names of politically exposed persons under investigation, insisting that due process would always guide its actions.

“The Commission reiterates its commitment to justice, without fear or favour, in the fulfilment of its mandate,” the statement concluded.
The statement was signed by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Dele Oyewale, and dated January 7, 2026.