…alleges individuals on corruption trials mobilising against president, anti-graft agency
By Joseph Erunke, Abuja
The National Interest Coalition,NICO, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) not to be deterred in their anti-corruption campaign, despite what it described as a grand conspiracy by some embattled Nigerians facing corruption trials.
Speaking during a solidarity march and press conference in Abuja on Monday, NICO leader, Comrade Bashir Abdu, alleged that the individuals had mobilised a N5 billion smear campaign to blackmail EFCC Chairman Olanipekun Olukoyede and derail the President’s renewed hope agenda.
According to him, the plotters, fearful of ongoing investigations, are sponsoring propaganda, orchestrating media attacks, and holding secret meetings abroad to weaken public trust in the anti-graft war. He further alleged that journalists were being funded from Dubai-based accounts to discredit both Tinubu and the EFCC.
“We were offered N100 million to join this plot against the EFCC Chairman and the President’s anti-corruption war, but we refused,” Abdu said.
The coalition, backed by thousands of protesters, passed a vote of confidence in President Tinubu and the EFCC boss, urging them to remain steadfast and not be intimidated by what it described as “insider enemies of the fight against corruption.”
NICO commended reforms introduced by the administration, including tighter fiscal controls and greater autonomy for anti-graft agencies, while also highlighting EFCC’s recent recoveries of stolen funds, prosecutions of high-profile cases, and crackdowns on internet fraudsters.
“But as always, corruption fights back,” Abdu warned, stressing that attacks on the EFCC and President Tinubu’s policies are aimed at shielding corrupt officials from justice.
He called on civil society groups, labour unions, student associations, religious bodies, and all patriotic Nigerians to resist attempts to sabotage the anti-corruption fight.
“This is not just about the EFCC Chairman,” the coalition declared. “It is about Nigeria’s future. We stand with President Tinubu, we stand with the EFCC, and we stand with justice.”
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