The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has accused by a coalition of socio-political organisations in the South-West zone under the aegis of Network for Equity and Justice (NEJ), of persecuting politicians from the zone under the guise of prosecuting anti-corruption campaign.

NEJ said it was in total support of the anti-corruption policy of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, but would not endorse the singling out of opposition figures for punishment while members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, remain untouchables.

The organisation said it came to the conclusion after reviewing the circumstances surrounding the arrest and detention of the immediate past senator for Oyo Central, Senator Ayo Adeseun and Mr Yinka Taiwo.

Adeseun was arrested on Tuesday by officials of the EFCC over involvement in campaign funds disbursement, detained for a night at State CID in Ibadan, before he was whisked to Lagos by EFCC operatives on Wednesday.

In a release signed by its Media Officer, Elder Joshua Obadare, NEJ said more than five days after Senator Adeseun was picked up, no charges has been preferred against him, querying why he was only allowed access to his lawyers after his third day in incarceration.

According to the release, only the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is empowered by law to look into campaign funds of political parties and ascertain whether they have overshot the stipulated limit.

“They said they granted him administrative bail and one of the bail conditions is that he should provide the Certificate of Occupancy of a property in Ikoyi, where houses cost hundreds of millions of naira.

“The EFCC has a zonal office in Ibadan, why did it take the Senator to Lagos? Obviously, EFCC is acting a script written for it by Aso Rock. It knew Adeseun would not get someone with such property to stand as surety for the accused and would therefore keep him in detention for as long as it would take to meet the bail conditions.

“From our findings, the EFCC arrested Adeseun in respect of campaign funds disbursed to mobilise for the last elections. Curiously, similar recipients of such funds in the North-West and South-South zones were last week only invited by the EFCC, asked to make statement and then asked to go.

“It is on record that some of the recipients of PDP campaign funds in Katsina State, where the president hails from, have never been invited by the anti-graft body either for question or to make statements.

“From the foregoing, it goes without saying that there is deliberate effort to cow notable South-West political leaders into submission.

“The EFCC does not have any right to grant administrative bail. Only the police and court can grant bail. Are we saying politicians in the APC campaigned for the last election using personal funds?” the group asked.