Segun Showunmi urges Nigerians not to politicise anti-corruption investigations, stressing accountability applies to all, regardless of political affiliation
Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Segun Showunmi, has condemned attempts by some public officials to label anti-graft investigations as persecution or victimisation due to their opposition party status.
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Showunmi stressed that Nigeria’s democracy is threatened not by investigations but by efforts to weaponise opposition status as immunity from the law.
“Opposition is not a licence to steal and not a shield against accountability,” he said.
In a statement on Monday, Showunmi warned that “calling an investigation ‘victimisation’ does not make it so but only signals an attempt to pre-empt justice with propaganda.”
He emphasised that the Nigerian Constitution explicitly mandates the state to fight corruption and abuse of power, with no exemptions for opposition leaders, former office holders, or political coalitions.
“The only immunity recognised by law is limited, specific, and temporary, and it ends when a public officer leaves office.
To suggest otherwise is to invent a privilege unknown to the Constitution,” Showunmi added.
He further noted that anti-graft agencies such as the EFCC are legally obligated to investigate allegations of financial crimes.
“Investigation, arrest, and prosecution when carried out within the law do not violate fundamental rights. This is settled by the Supreme Court, not by political press conferences,” Showunmi said.
Highlighting the principles of justice, the PDP chieftain stated that presumption of innocence does not prevent investigation, questioning, or prosecution.
“Accountability is personal. Justice is individual. Guilt is not suspended because someone else has not yet been charged,” he said.
Showunmi warned against attempts to intimidate or delegitimise anti-corruption institutions.
“Democracy does not mean freedom from scrutiny. It means submission to the law, especially by those who once held public trust. Creating parallel structures to undermine lawful investigations or discredit prosecutions is not reform; it is evasion,” he said.
Nigeria continues to face significant challenges with corruption. An August 2025 Chatham House report ranked the country among the top quarter of most corrupt nations globally.
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Nigeria also ranks among the 40 most corrupt countries on the Corruption Perceptions Index and 35th from the bottom on the World Bank’s measure of corruption control.
