Group Alleges ₦5bn Plot to Discredit Tinubu, EFCC Chairman
The National Interest Coalition (NICO) has accused some embattled public office holders of sponsoring a multi-billion-naira smear campaign to undermine President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s anti-corruption drive and destabilise the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday during a solidarity march and world press conference, NICO’s convener, Comrade Bashir Abdu, alleged that the plot funded with about ₦5 billion was targeted at blackmailing EFCC Chairman, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, and weakening the ongoing war against graft.
Abdu described the alleged conspirators as “desperate men” already facing corruption charges, who were bent on evading justice by any means possible.
According to him, the coalition uncovered evidence of massive funds being siphoned to bankroll hostile media campaigns, sponsor negative propaganda, and manipulate public opinion against the anti-graft agency and the presidency.
“These are individuals who have looted the nation’s treasury and are now deploying stolen wealth to attack the very institutions seeking accountability,” Abdu said. “They are funding offshore accounts in Dubai, paying media mercenaries, and recruiting dissident voices to derail the EFCC and frustrate the President’s reforms.”
The NICO leader further alleged that the masterminds of the plot had been holding secret strategy meetings with the aim of creating a credibility crisis for both Tinubu and Olukoyede.
He warned that such actions posed a direct threat to national stability and the credibility of Nigeria’s anti-corruption institutions.
While urging Nigerians to resist what he called “a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of the EFCC,” Abdu expressed solidarity with the commission’s leadership and reaffirmed support for President Tinubu’s anti-corruption policies.
He called on security agencies to investigate the allegations and bring those behind the purported smear campaign to book.
“The fight against corruption cannot succeed if those who should be facing trial are allowed to regroup and sabotage the system,” Abdu added.
