The 5 Powerful Men Who Cast Huge Shadows On Buhari's Anti Corruption War

The phrase, ‘no one is above the law or the law respects no one’’ as proposed by British Jurist, A.V.Dicey and often used by various law enforcement agencies in Nigeria seems to have little or no substantial effect when it comes to certain Nigerians....


Majority of Nigerians have come to understand that within the confines of their country, the law surely respects some people. These people are part of the movers and shakers of the Nigerian political scene.

The name ‘’Muhammadu Buhari” doesn’t send these men running for their lives as it did for some people. Prior to winning the election, a whole lot of corrupt public officials went scampering when they realized he was going to win the election.

So far, the president has not ordered for their interrogation or questioning by law enforcement agencies regardless of whatever wrong the populace has associated their names with. Compiled here is a list of these five people:

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

Named as one of Nigeria’s strongest politician ever, the Egba High Chief, and a former president of Nigeria, is one of the country’s ‘’untouchable’’. Despite the fact that many Nigerians and groups have called for his probing, the former president has not been invited by any law enforcement or anti-graft agencies over any form of financial misappropriation. Moreover, the EFCC which was asked to interrogate him was seen by many as a tool in his hands which he used to hound his political opponents during his tenure.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Popularly known as The Jagaban of Borgu, the two-term governor of Lagos State and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been trailed with series of allegations leveled against him. Many are of the belief that he’s got some skeletons in his cupboard, but till date, he has not been convicted of committing any corrupt act. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the most powerful politician in Nigeria at the moment and holds a legendary position in the country and among the Yorubas in particular.

Rotimi Amaechi

He was a former governor of Rivers State, and is presently Nigeria’s minister of transport. He is one of Nigeria’s most rugged politicians and also belongs to the country’s list of “untouchables”. This is further aided by the fact that he is a member of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet. During his screening at the National Assembly which was postponed several times as a result of series of corruption allegations leveled against him in some quarters in Rivers State, Amaechi publicly stated that he had never collected a bribe in his life. Presently, the former governor is one of the president’s most trusted allies, and many believe that the president cannot probe him because he spent from his state’s purse to ensure that APC won last year’s general election.

Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan

The former president remains unarguably one of Nigeria’s most powerful politicians not probed by the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. His administration was touted as the most corrupt the country ever witnessed. Under his watchful eyes, public officials embezzled public fund, and to further make it worse, the officials were not probed.

This led The Economist to label him as an ‘’ineffectual buffoon’’. It is however surprising to many Nigerians that till date; the former president has not been invited for questioning by any of the anti-graft agencies. In fact, he has been to the presidential villa thrice to put heads together with the president on how to stop the unrest in the Niger Delta region and how to move the country forward in general.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar

Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar also belongs to the list of Nigerians who have not been probed by the present administration. He is one of the movers and shakers in the Northern part of the country and holds a very dignified position in the All Progressives Congress (APC). He is alleged to be one of those involved in the infamous Halliburton scandal. Despite the allegations, it is believed that the president holds him in dignified esteem, and as such, cannot probe him.