Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the government of President Bola Tinubu of employing state resources to suppress dissenting voices.
Atiku’s statement, issued on Friday, came in response to the arrest and prosecution of Prof. Usman Yusuf, the former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme.
According to reports from Daily Sun, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission apprehended Yusuf on Wednesday and subsequently arraigned him in court on Thursday, facing allegations of fraud. However, the arraignment was rescheduled by Justice Chinyere E. Nwecheonwu of the FCT High Court, Kuje, to Monday, February 3, with the defendant being remanded in EFCC custody.
Atiku pointed out that although the charges against Yusuf have been lingering since the previous administration, his arrest appeared to have strong political motivations. He stressed that despite the current government’s involvement in various scandals and ongoing investigations by both domestic and international authorities, it continues to wield state machinery to target and silence critics.
The former PDP presidential candidate criticized the Tinubu administration for protecting individuals under investigation while simultaneously using state institutions to suppress opposition under the guise of fighting corruption.
Atiku argued that it had become increasingly clear that President Tinubu’s so-called war on corruption was, in fact, a campaign to undermine political opposition for personal gain. He emphasized that the administration was manipulating the system for its own advantage, not genuinely tackling corruption.
Atiku said, “Two days ago, the nation was jolted by the arrest of Professor Usman Yusuf, a fierce and unyielding social critic.
“Though the charges against him have been festering since the previous administration, it is impossible to ignore the strong likelihood that his detention is politically motivated.
“The Tinubu government, despite being riddled with individuals who themselves are embroiled in scandals and investigations by both local and international authorities, continues to use the very machinery of the state to silence its critics. It weaponises these pending investigations to suppress all opposition.”
“Even to the most inattentive, it has become glaringly clear that Tinubu is not waging a war on corruption — he is waging a war on the opposition, manipulating the system for his own political advantage,” the 2023 presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said.