Breaking: More Trouble for EFCC Chairman as Demand for His Sack Over Osun Account Freeze Worsens
- Opposition parties and netizens demanded the resignation or sacking of EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede after the agency froze the Osun State Government's account days before a governorship election
- The Accord Party, NNPP, and the Obidient Movement joined voices calling for Olukoyede's exit, while the Presidency and Femi Falana pushed back against the resignation calls
- A certified court order showed the EFCC secured a Federal High Court order on August 5, 2026, to freeze three Osun State Government accounts
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Legit.ng as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Pressure on Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Chairman Ola Olukoyede mounted on Friday, August 7, as opposition parties, civil society figures and ordinary Nigerians demanded his removal over the agency's decision to freeze the Osun State Government's account just ten days before the August 15 governorship election.
The EFCC had on Wednesday, August 5, placed a Post No Bill on the Osun State Government account held with First Bank, citing suspicious transactions and claiming it had been investigating the account since March 2026. President Bola Tinubu intervened the following day, directing the commission to unfreeze the account and describing the move as embarrassing.
Source: UGC
Accord Party, NNPP demand Olukoyede's exit
The National Chairman of Accord Party, Maxwell Mgbudem, told a press conference in Abuja that his party had lost confidence in the EFCC's leadership and was demanding Olukoyede's immediate resignation, as reported by Daily Trust.
"Having demonstrated unprecedented partisanship in Osun State politics, assaulted the sensibilities of fellow compatriots and brought the nation to ridicule and disrepute before the international community, Accord has lost confidence in the current leadership of the EFCC," Mgbudem said. "If he fails to resign, President Tinubu should sack him immediately to restore the integrity of the anti-graft agency."
The National Chairman of the New Nigeria People's Party, Major Agbo, also backed the resignation calls, though he expressed surprise at the President's decision to intervene, arguing Tinubu should have allowed the investigation to run its course.
"But asking the EFCC to unfreeze the account does not speak well of the commission's independence. The implication is that it takes orders from the President," Agbo said.
National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, similarly advised Olukoyede to step down to protect his integrity, saying:
"Ultimately, if I were Olukoyede, in order to save my reputation and integrity, I would leave while the ovation is loudest."
Presidency and Falana reject resignation demand
As reported by Punch, the Presidency said the episode would not cost Olukoyede his job, with one insider saying:
"The fact that the President said he was embarrassed by the EFCC's move does not mean he will be fired."
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana defended the EFCC's action, saying the commission acted within its legal mandate and that Tinubu had no authority to direct the agency's affairs. Falana added that the EFCC has the power under law to freeze any account for up to 72 hours where it suspects fraudulent activity before obtaining a court order.
The minority caucus of the House of Representatives, in a joint statement signed by its Leader, Fredrick Agbedi, and spokesman, Afam Ogene, described the President's reversal as a "panicky, belated afterthought" and accused the Federal Government of weaponising institutions against Osun ahead of the poll.
A certified true copy of a Federal High Court order seen confirmed the EFCC secured judicial authorisation on August 5, 2026, to freeze three accounts belonging to the Osun State Government, including accounts held with First Bank and two with Zenith Bank, pending investigation into alleged diversion of public funds and money laundering.
Sam Amadi speaks
Reacting to the development, Sam Amadi, said:
"I am thoroughly disappointed in the EFCC Chairman who appeared to me until now as a very determined fighter of corruption. He has betrayed the trust I have in him. When I met the Chairman and had extensive discussion about his leadership of the commission I left with a good impression and a commitment to support his efforts. I told him that I believe he understands of challenges of fighting corruption in the Nigeria and the need for wisdom and courage.
"But I told him I feel he is constrained because the political leadership is absolutely corrupt. But he explained that he knew how to navigate the corrupt political environment. But the recent action proves he lacks the political will to go against his political masters. His current action is political. It is aimed at helping the APC win a vital election. There is no other way to explain that the commission has to financially castrate Osun government about 10 days to the governorship election. As the Commission admitted, it has been monitoring the accounts on so-called suspicion of irregularities. It had to act 10 days to election to avoid dissipation of public fund. This is laughable. Where else has the Commission acted to stop the dissipation of public fund by a siting governor? Where?
"This act is a de facto revocation of constitutional immunity by the Commission. Of course, it can only happen in a state where President Tinubu has interest and commitment to sack the Chief Executive, either through Executive Order or through election. Of course, we know what has become of Yahaya Bello. He is heading to Senate, and his impunity backed with Kogi public finance. Commission has not acted. It will not act because it is to the benefit of APC. The EFCC Chair should cut us the cr@p. He has failed the first major test of integrity and courage. In my opinion, he has used the powers and resources of the Commission to help APC win in the Osun governorship. That is corruption in my books."
EFCC: Tinubu calls Adeleke amid backlash
Previously, Legit.ng reported that President Bola Tinubu reached out to Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke on Thursday, August 6, by phone, informing him that he had directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to lift the court order placed on the Osun State Government's account.
Bayo Onanuga, the president's special adviser on information and strategy, announced the development in a statement, noting that the call signalled a direct intervention by the presidency in the matter, with Tinubu personally assuring Adeleke of the steps being taken at the federal level to resolve the freeze on the state's account.
Source: Legit.ng
