Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the freezing of the Osun State Government's statutory allocation account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), describing the action as a dangerous assault on democracy that raises serious questions about the neutrality of institutions entrusted with upholding the rule of law. In a statement issued on Thursday, August 6, 2026, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president said the move, coming just days before the August 15 governorship election, is deeply troubling and capable of undermining public confidence in the credibility of the electoral process.
Atiku argued that freezing a state's principal operational account on the eve of a major election could disrupt governance, delay salary payments, impede the delivery of essential public services, and create an atmosphere of intimidation that has no place in a democratic society. He said that while anti-corruption agencies have a duty to investigate alleged wrongdoing, such actions must follow due process and must not create the perception that state institutions are being deployed to influence political outcomes or weaken elected governments at critical electoral moments. "If there are legitimate concerns requiring investigation, the law provides for due process. Anti-corruption agencies must not conduct themselves in a manner that creates the perception that they are being deployed to influence political outcomes or weaken elected governments at critical electoral moments," he stated.
The ADC presidential candidate maintained that Nigeria's democracy depends not only on free and fair elections but also on public confidence that state institutions act independently, professionally, and without political interference. He accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of developing a pattern of targeting opposition-controlled states through the selective deployment of federal institutions. "It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore a pattern under the Tinubu administration in which opposition-controlled states appear to be the consistent targets of coercive federal actions. Coming after the prolonged denial of Osun State's statutory local government allocations, this latest action reinforces the disturbing impression that public institutions are being weaponised to punish political opponents rather than serve the Nigerian people," Atiku said.
Atiku called on the EFCC to immediately reverse the freezing of the Osun State Government's statutory allocation account, insisting that the move would hurt ordinary residents of the state. "Freezing the state's allocation account is not merely an attack on the Osun State Government; it is a direct assault on the people of Osun State, whose salaries, essential public services, and daily governance stand to suffer. The anti-corruption mandate of the EFCC must never be distorted into a political weapon against opposition governments," he declared. He also urged all institutions involved in the conduct of the Osun governorship election to act with restraint, impartiality, and strict adherence to the Constitution. "The people of Osun State alone must determine the outcome of their election. No external force or institution of government should, by action or omission, cast a shadow over the credibility of that democratic choice," he added.
Atiku further accused President Tinubu of using state institutions to suppress the opposition rather than combat corruption, warning that democracy cannot coexist with the systematic weaponisation of state institutions against political opponents. "President Tinubu is leaving no one in doubt that he is determined to win elections at all costs. Democracy cannot coexist with the systematic weaponisation of state institutions against political opponents. I therefore call on all opposition parties and every Nigerian committed to constitutional democracy to close ranks and resist this dangerous drift before it is too late," he said.
The EFCC had on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, directed First Bank to place a Post-No-Debit restriction on the Osun State Government Statutory Allocation account, pending the conclusion of an investigation into the alleged mismanagement of about N11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds, and Federal Account Allocation Committee allocations. The commission said the action followed suspicious movement of funds from the state government's accounts into what it described as suspicious corporate accounts, detected from August 2, 2026. The EFCC insisted that its action was not politically motivated despite the timing ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The controversy has drawn widespread reactions from legal stakeholders and political figures. The Nigerian Bar Association president, Afam Osigwe, warned that restricting withdrawals from a state government's accounts without an express court order could effectively cripple governance and amount to an abuse of power. Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party, has also demanded an explanation from the EFCC chairman, calling the freeze illegal since it was carried out without a court order. The governor said he had instructed his Attorney General to challenge the action at the Federal High Court in Osogbo. As the Osun governorship election draws nearer, the freeze on the state's account has added a new and potentially explosive dimension to an already charged political atmosphere, with Atiku's intervention adding significant weight to the growing opposition against the EFCC's action.
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