By Tracy Moses
Former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonayinma, has denied acting on behalf of President Bola Tinubu or the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his call for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to revisit corruption allegations involving former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Agbonayinma, who represented Egor/Ikpoba-Okha Federal Constituency in the Ninth National Assembly, said his intervention was a personal initiative based on his belief in accountability, transparency and the rule of law.
He spoke against the backdrop of an X post by Karl Von Batten, also known as Ikemefuna Okeke, which he said created a misleading impression that his 14-day ultimatum to the EFCC was politically motivated and linked to the President.
The former lawmaker also threatened legal action over the use of his photograph in the publication, saying it wrongly suggested that he was acting at the behest of Tinubu or the APC.
In a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, Agbonayinma said he stood by his demand that the EFCC review allegations and reports concerning Atiku.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I did issue a 14-day ultimatum to the EFCC, calling on the Commission to reopen the corruption allegations and reports involving Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. I stand by my call for accountability and the rule of law,” he said.
Agbonayinma, who is now a member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), maintained that neither Tinubu nor the APC commissioned or directed him to make the demand.
“My action was entirely personal, undertaken in my capacity as a Nigerian citizen who believes that allegations of financial impropriety involving public office holders deserve proper investigation,” he said.
He argued that the allegations contained in his petition should be subjected to due process rather than being reduced to a partisan political dispute.
“Both the US Senate and Homeland Security have conducted and concluded investigations. It is only left for the EFCC to do the right thing by prosecuting him,” he said.
The former lawmaker said his call for the reopening of the matter was not intended to advance the interests of any political party, including the APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC) or NDC.
“My call for the reopening of Atiku Abubakar’s corruption reports is not about Tinubu, APC, PDP, ADC, NDC or any political party. It is about accountability, transparency and the principle that no individual should be above the law,” he said.
He urged the EFCC to independently assess the allegations and determine whether they warranted further investigation, stressing that any action taken by the commission should be guided by due process.
Agbonayinma also challenged Atiku’s legal team to address the substance of his petition rather than attribute political motives to his intervention.
The former lawmaker warned that the use of his photograph in what he described as a misleading publication would not be taken lightly, saying he was prepared to pursue legal remedies against those responsible.
Agbonayinma served in the House of Representatives before the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly. He resigned his membership of the APC in April 2026 and subsequently joined the NDC.
Reiterating his position on the EFCC petition, he said allegations involving public figures should be subjected to appropriate scrutiny regardless of political affiliation.
“I acted as a Nigerian, not as Tinubu’s representative. Let the record be clear,” he said.