THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a former Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, over alleged fraudulent cash withdrawals totalling N189 billion.
The withdrawals are said to violate the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022.
According to reports, Tambuwal reportedly arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, August 11, to be interrogated by EFCC investigators.
A source told Punch Newspaper that Tambuwal is facing questions over suspicious dealings during his tenure, involving alleged unauthorised withdrawals of public funds.
The source added that the investigation has been ongoing for months.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, when contacted, refused to confirm Tambuwal’s arrest. However, a top official of the anti-graft agency who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak told The ICIR that the former governor is in their custody for alleged N189bn fraud.
Tambuwal, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), served as governor from 2015 to 2023 and was previously Speaker of the House of Representatives.
On Monday, a major opposition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, alleged that EFCC was carrying out selective investigations targeting opposition politicians.
The party declared that recent EFCC summons to senior members of the opposition coalition were politically motivated and connected to their political affiliations.
According to ADC, some of the cases being pursued are not based on new proof but involve reopening files from past years.
Recall that on July 5, as part of its strategies to dislodge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections, leading opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 poll Peter Obi, former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, and Nasir El-Rufai, launched a coalition in Abuja on March 20.
After months of speculation over which platform the coalition would pursue its agenda, the ADC now appears as a key opposition party that will challenge President Bola Tinubu’s APC in the 2027 elections.
El-Rufai confirmed the decision in a post on his X handle.
Many people believe that Tambuwal, even though still a PDP member, is a key part of the coalition.
A reporter with the ICIR
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