Northern group faults FG over “persecution” of politicians from region

The Northern Nigeria Voice, has raised the alarm over what it describes as a systematic and politically motivated persecution of opposition leaders from the North by federal anti-corruption agencies.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the group lead, Abubakar Muhammad condemned the continued use of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) as instruments of political intimidation.

Abubakar, who served as the leader of the newly formed voice for North warned that the nation is being quietly transformed into a police state under the guise of anti-corruption enforcement.

“The ongoing trials of northern politicians cannot be divorced from political reality. What we are witnessing is no longer about accountability; it is about the systematic silencing of opposition voices,” he said.

The statement cited recent cases involving prominent northern politicians as evidence of a calculated pattern.

“Nasiru El-Rufai, the ex-Kaduna State Glgovernor, and Abubakar Malami, former Attorney General of the Federation, have both been subjected to sustained investigations and legal scrutiny following their political disagreements with the ruling party,” the group said.

According to him, Aminu Tambuwal, former Sokoto State Governor and current opposition figure, had also faced similar institutional pressure after his political alignment shifted.

“These are not isolated incidents. They form a clear trajectory—opposition leaders are being policed as though this country were a police state. Those who dare to speak are made to shuttle between courts and detention centers week after week. The rest remain silenced by fear,” the statement added.

He further argued that the ruling party, which already controls over 30 states and a supermajority in the National Assembly, has no justification for deploying state agencies against political opponents.

“The 2027 elections are being tactically rigged right now—not at polling units, but through judicial gymnastics and selective prosecutions. The opposition is being systematically stripped of its leaders, its time, and its capacity to organize. This is not democracy; this is authoritarianism by legal technicality,” the group warned.

They called on the federal government to immediately end the political persecutions and allow the nation’s anti-corruption agencies to focus on their statutory mandates without partisan interference.

“The stability of our polity and the integrity of our democratic processes are at stake. Good governance must be allowed to take precedence over political vendettas. We cannot afford to set a precedent where state institutions are weaponized against citizens for their political choices,” the statement concluded.

The group also urged civil society organizations, the international community, and well-meaning Nigerians to speak out against the growing threat to democratic governance in the country.