A chieftain of The Alternative, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has declared that Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive is not targeted at opposition figures, warning that attempts to portray investigation of public officials as political persecution pose a greater threat to democracy than the probes themselves.
Showunmi, in a strongly worded statement on Monday, said Nigeria’s democracy was endangered not by lawful investigations but by what he described as a growing effort by political actors to weaponise opposition status as immunity from the law.
“Opposition is not a licence to steal, and it is not a shield against accountability,” he said.
He stressed that the 1999 Constitution places a clear obligation on the state to abolish corruption and abuse of power, noting that it recognises no special exemption for opposition leaders, former office holders or political coalitions.
According to him, the only immunity recognised by law is limited, specific and temporary, adding that it expires once a public officer leaves office.
“To suggest otherwise is to invent a privilege unknown to the Constitution,” Showunmi said.
The former PDP governorship aspirant dismissed claims that investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other anti-graft agencies amount to victimisation, insisting that investigation, arrest and prosecution—when conducted within the law—do not violate fundamental rights.
He noted that the legality of such actions has been firmly settled by the Supreme Court, not by political rhetoric or media campaigns.
“Calling investigation ‘persecution’ does not make it so. It only signals an attempt to pre-empt justice with propaganda,” he said.
Showunmi also clarified that the presumption of innocence does not bar law-enforcement agencies from investigating or charging suspects, nor does it compel silence from anti-corruption institutions.
“If you are innocent, the courts will clear you. If you are not, the law will take its course. That is the essence of the rule of law,” he stated.
He criticised what he described as selective outrage by politicians who argue that others are also corrupt, stressing that Nigerian law does not recognise such a defence.
“Accountability is personal. Justice is individual. Guilt is not suspended because someone else has not yet been charged,” Showunmi said.
The politician further warned that the real danger to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy lies in attempts to intimidate, delegitimise or blackmail anti-corruption agencies whenever investigations involve politically exposed persons.
“Democracy does not mean freedom from scrutiny. It means submission to the law—especially by those who once held public trust,” he added.
On calls for the creation of independent or parallel review bodies, Showunmi said transparency must not be used as a diversion to undermine lawful investigations, noting that Nigeria already has constitutionally and statutorily empowered institutions to audit, investigate and prosecute financial crimes.
He maintained that public office is a trust and that breaches of that trust inevitably attract consequences.
“No one was forced to misappropriate public funds. No one was compelled to abuse office,” he said.
Showunmi concluded that the proper response to investigation is not alarmism, international lobbying or political noise, but competent legal defence and respect for due process.
“Anti-corruption is not anti-opposition. Investigation is not persecution. Accountability is not authoritarianism,” he said, adding that those with clean hands have nothing to fear, while those with questions to answer must do so before the law.
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