Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has reopened its investigation into allegations against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, reviving a case that dates back nearly two decades and drawing the anti-graft agency into the centre of the 2027 presidential campaign.
The fresh probe follows a petition by a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonayinma, seeking Atiku’s prosecution over alleged financial crimes investigated between 2005 and 2006 when Mallam Nuhu Ribadu headed the EFCC. The petition, dated August 27, 2026, was received by the commission on September 1 and acknowledged under reference CR:3000/EFCC/HQ/SDC-2/VOL.3/398. Agbonayinma appeared at the EFCC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, on October 12, where he formally adopted the petition and answered questions from investigators, arriving at about 9:58 a.m. and leaving at approximately 4:07 p.m. after spending more than six hours with the commission.
“I want to thank Nigerians, the EFCC and those praying for me in this struggle,” Agbonayinma said after the session. “The laws are meant for both the rich and the poor. After the EFCC has done a fantastic job, it should not be kept under the table.” He described reporting alleged wrongdoing as a constitutional responsibility and insisted that nobody should be considered above the law. He also disclosed that he had written to United States President Donald Trump seeking attention to the allegations.
At the heart of the petition is the EFCC’s September 2006 report on Atiku, which the petitioner says contained serious allegations of sleaze, money laundering and other financial crimes. The petition also references a February 4, 2010, report by the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Agbonayinma urged the commission to revisit both documents, arguing that they should form the basis for renewed action. The investigation being revisited arose in part from a request by the US Attorney’s Office and Department of Justice for Nigerian authorities to examine transactions connected with American company iGate, Nigerian company Netlink Digital Television, and related persons and entities. US authorities were at the time investigating possible violations of American law, including allegations of bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy connected with business ventures promoted in Africa by then US Congressman William Jefferson. Following that request, the EFCC under Ribadu extended its investigation to the management and placement of Petroleum Technology Trust Fund monies, which were under the supervision of the Office of the Vice-President. The investigation examined the approval of $125 million for PTDF purposes.
The EFCC has yet to issue a substantive statement on the reopening beyond acknowledging receipt of the petition, and its spokesman, Dele Oyewale, had yet to respond to messages seeking an update on the investigation. The commission’s decision to adopt the petition and invite the petitioner for questioning represents a formal step in the investigative process, though it does not by itself indicate that charges will follow.
Atiku’s camp has rejected the move, accusing the petitioner of attempting to resurrect a case that was resolved years ago. In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president said the allegations had previously been examined by the EFCC, an administrative panel, the National Assembly and the courts without resulting in any conviction. “Let us not rewrite history. The Obasanjo administration did not protect me,” Atiku said. “At the height of our political disagreement, these matters travelled through the EFCC, an administrative panel, the National Assembly and the courts. The machinery of the state was fully deployed, and the political hostility was public. Yet no court convicted me on these allegations. That is the record.” He questioned whether the fresh petition was based on any new evidence nearly two decades after the original investigations. “So what exactly has been discovered in 2026 that Nigeria did not hear twenty years ago? A petition is not a conviction, an acknowledgement stamp is not evidence of guilt, and repetition cannot magically become a judgment of court,” he said.
The reopening has also drawn sharp reactions from Atiku’s political allies. Senator Dino Melaye, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, warned the EFCC against inviting Atiku for questioning, describing the move as an attempt to use state institutions against the opposition. “The day EFCC invites Atiku Abubakar before election, then Tinubu will know that government is not owned by those in government,” Melaye said at an ADC town hall meeting in Abuja. “Invite Atiku and see trouble.” He said Atiku had been investigated multiple times by the Obasanjo administration, noting that he had been involved in thirteen cases against the federal government and won all of them. “They have investigated Atiku everywhere. The only thing they are yet to find out about Atiku is where his placenta was buried,” he said. Melaye also questioned the petitioner’s credibility, describing him as a politician who had moved between the APC, ADC and NDC within a short period.
Agbonayinma, however, has insisted that the matter should not be allowed to remain unresolved. He argued that the EFCC had previously indicated that Atiku could face prosecution after leaving office when his constitutional immunity ceased to apply, but that no prosecution followed. He described the alleged failure to act as a dereliction of duty and argued that pursuing the matter would demonstrate the commission’s resolve to hold politically influential figures accountable.
The political context of the reopened investigation is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections for February 6. Atiku is contesting on the platform of the African Democratic Congress with former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is seeking a second term on the APC platform, while former Anambra Governor Peter Obi is flying the flag of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde is running on the Allied Peoples Movement platform. Atiku linked the latest petition to his calls for Tinubu to release records relating to his civil forfeiture case in the United States, arguing that politicians should be subjected to the same standard of scrutiny. “My challenge is simple: let every lawful record be opened and every allegation tested. Let Nigerians see who welcomes scrutiny and who reaches for privacy arguments when the files concern him,” he said. He also maintained that the EFCC should remain independent and should not be used as a political tool. “The EFCC belongs to Nigeria, not to any government, party or candidate. It should investigate genuine wrongdoing wherever it finds it, but state institutions must never become emergency political weapons activated whenever those in power are losing the argument on governance.”
For Nigerians, the reopening of the Atiku investigation raises familiar questions about the timing and motivation of anti-corruption enforcement in the lead-up to elections. The commission has consistently maintained that it acts on petitions and evidence rather than political considerations, and the adoption of Agbonayinma’s petition represents a procedural step that could lead to further investigative action. Whether the probe produces charges or concludes without prosecution will be closely watched as the campaign intensifies, and the case is likely to remain a central issue in the political debate over accountability and the use of state institutions.
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