Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has accused the Federal Government of deploying the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to harass him and members of his cabinet over their refusal to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor made the allegation on Wednesday while receiving an ambassadorial safety award from the Institute of Safety Professionals in Nigeria.
His comments followed the arraignment on Tuesday of the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, by the EFCC over alleged money laundering involving N5.79 billion. Adamu is accused of conspiring with the Managing Director of I.S. Makayye Investment Resources Limited, Ishaku Mohammed Aliyu, and one Muntaka Duguri, both said to be at large, to launder N4.65 billion between June and December 2023.
Governor Mohammed expressed concern that, despite enjoying constitutional immunity, his name was mentioned in court filings connected to the EFCC case involving members of his cabinet.
“As a governor and head of the opposition, my commissioner has been detained and will not be released by the EFCC,” he said. He added that he was surprised to see his name referenced in a court motion, describing the development as troubling.
The governor further claimed he had received notifications alleging links to terrorism, which he dismissed without making public representations. According to him, such actions reflected the growing politicisation of state institutions.
Mohammed alleged that the APC-led Federal Government was using the courts and agencies such as the EFCC to intimidate and prosecute political opponents outside the ruling party.
The governor, who also chairs the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, said he would not succumb to pressure to join the APC through what he described as targeted prosecutions of officials in his administration.
While noting that he had previously remained silent in the interest of peace and security, Mohammed warned that he would speak out more forcefully if the actions continued, insisting that he would not be criminalised for refusing to defect to the ruling party.
