{"id":9880,"date":"2026-11-05T12:01:50","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T12:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/leave-efcc-out-of-politics-kogi-group-warns-obi-kwankwaso-movement\/"},"modified":"2026-11-05T12:01:50","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T12:01:50","slug":"leave-efcc-out-of-politics-kogi-group-warns-obi-kwankwaso-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/leave-efcc-out-of-politics-kogi-group-warns-obi-kwankwaso-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"Leave EFCC out of politics, Kogi group warns Obi-Kwankwaso Movement"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"EFCC\"<\/p>\n

By John Alechenu<\/p>\n

ABUJA \u2014 The Kogi Central Progressive Elites have warned the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement against dragging the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into partisan politics following its call for an investigation into Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan\u2019s recent cash empowerment programme.<\/p>\n

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The group described the call as a politically motivated attempt to undermine the lawmaker ahead of the 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, its President, Abdullahi Omeiza, said the group was concerned about what it described as the growing tendency among political actors to deploy anti-corruption institutions and rhetoric for partisan purposes.<\/p>\n

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He said: \u201cWe are concerned about the growing tendency among some political actors to deploy anti-corruption institutions and rhetoric as instruments of partisan warfare.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAccountability is important, but it must be pursued through facts, evidence and established legal procedures, not through sensational political narratives designed to damage the reputation of an elected public official.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The group argued that constituency empowerment programmes should not automatically be classified as vote-buying simply because they involve direct financial assistance to beneficiaries.<\/p>\n

It said such initiatives could be subjected to legitimate scrutiny, but insisted that any investigation must be guided by evidence and the law.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mere distribution of financial assistance to constituents does not, in itself, establish an offence of vote-buying,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n

On the demand for an EFCC investigation and prosecution, the group acknowledged that no one was above the law but cautioned against turning anti-corruption agencies into instruments of political intimidation.<\/p>\n

Omeiza said: \u201cAccountability is indispensable to democratic governance, but it must never become a convenient weapon for settling political scores.<\/p>\n

\u201cAllegations are not convictions, petitions are not proof of wrongdoing, and public accusations cannot substitute for due process.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe EFCC must be allowed to discharge its statutory responsibilities independently, without being subjected to political pressure or media-driven prejudgement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group challenged the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement to submit any credible evidence to the appropriate authorities rather than rely on public declarations and what it described as inflammatory narratives.<\/p>\n

It also maintained that the people of Kogi Central had the right to assess Akpoti-Uduaghan\u2019s performance and determine whether she deserved another term.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people of Kogi Central are politically conscious, discerning and capable of evaluating their representative. They understand the difference between constructive criticism and politically motivated attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo pressure group, political organisation or individual can arrogate to itself the authority to determine the political destiny of our senatorial district,\u201d Omeiza said.<\/p>\n

Reacting to the movement\u2019s reported threat to mobilise against the senator\u2019s return in 2027, the group said the decision ultimately rested with the electorate.<\/p>\n

Omeiza said: \u201cIn a democracy, every political organisation is entitled to its political preferences. However, nobody has the authority to substitute political threats or media campaigns for the sovereign decision of the electorate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anyone believes Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan does not deserve another mandate, the appropriate response is to present a better alternative and allow the people to decide at the polls.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group urged the senator not to be distracted by the controversy and called on political actors to embrace issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections.<\/p>\n

It said: \u201cSenator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan must not be distracted from the responsibility of representing her people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who believe they can determine the political destiny of Kogi Central through media narratives, petitions and political pressure should understand that the people have a voice, the people have a choice, and the people reserve the ultimate democratic mandate,\u201d Omeiza stated.<\/p>\n

The post Leave EFCC out of politics, Kogi group warns Obi-Kwankwaso Movement<\/a> appeared first on Vanguard News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source: <\/p>\n

Vanguard News<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By John Alechenu ABUJA \u2014 The Kogi Central Progressive Elites have warned the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement against dragging the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into partisan politics following its call… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9880\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}