2027 Election:Ex-Lawmaker Gives EFCC 14-Day Ultimatum To Prosecute Atiku Over ‘Financial Crimes’
ABUJA, NIGERIA — The political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections has been thrown into turbulence following a formal demand on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to reopen and prosecute a multi-million dollar financial crimes case against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, a former member of the House of Representatives, issued the directive through his legal team, giving the anti-graft agency a strict 14-day ultimatum to act or face a mandamus lawsuit in a court of law.
The petition, authored by Hannibal Uwaifo of Sagitarian Law Firm and officially acknowledged by the office of the EFCC Chairman, seeks the immediate reactivation of two major historical investigative dossiers against the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate.
Specifically, the petition demands action on a 2006 internal EFCC investigative report and a subsequent February 4, 2010 report issued by the United States Senate Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations. Both documents allege high-level corruption, grand bribery, and complex international money laundering schemes conducted during Atiku’s tenure as Vice President between 1999 and 2007.
“Our client believes that nobody should be above the law, regardless of their political standing or ambitions,” Uwaifo stated in the petition.
“The findings contained in the 2006 EFCC report and the US Senate investigation provide more than enough actionable ground to initiate immediate prosecution. If the commission fails to act within 14 days of receiving this letter, we will not hesitate to approach the courts to compel the EFCC to perform its statutory duty.”
The timing of the legal offensive is highly strategic, arriving just as political parties mobilize for the upcoming 2027 presidential cycle. Atiku, who recently transitioned to the ADC banner to lead a coalition of opposition forces, has consistently maintained his innocence over the decades, repeatedly challenging his detractors to produce definitive, legally binding evidence of corruption against him in a court of law.
As of press time, the EFCC has not released an official statement regarding whether it will honor the 14-day deadline or dismiss the petition as politically motivated.
