Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Accord Party has demanded the immediate resignation of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, following the agency's controversial decision to freeze the Osun State Government's bank accounts just days before the state's governorship election. The party also warned that if Olukoyede fails to resign, President Bola Tinubu should sack him without delay to restore the integrity of the anti-graft agency.
The National Chairman of Accord, Chief Maxwell Mgbudem, made the demand on Friday, August 7, 2026, during a world press conference held at the party's national secretariat in Abuja. While commending President Tinubu for directing the EFCC to unfreeze the accounts, Mgbudem said the party had lost all confidence in the leadership of the commission, accusing it of demonstrating "unprecedented partisanship" in Osun State politics ahead of the August 15 governorship election. "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 declared. He added: "Accordingly, Accord demands the immediate resignation of the EFCC chairman. For embarrassing the President, the party, the government and people of Osun State, and fellow citizens, the EFCC chairman should toe the path of honour and tender his resignation. If he fails to resign, President Tinubu should sack him immediately to restore the integrity of the anti-graft agency."
The EFCC had on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, directed First Bank to place a post-no-debit restriction on the Osun State Government's statutory allocation account, citing an ongoing investigation into the alleged fraudulent handling of about N11 billion in ecological and intervention funds. The commission insisted that its action was within the law and that it had the authority to place restrictions on accounts suspected to be linked to financial crimes. However, the timing of the freeze—barely 10 days before the governorship election in which Governor Ademola Adeleke is seeking re-election on the Accord Party platform—sparked widespread outrage and accusations of political manipulation.
The Accord Party chairman described the EFCC's action as "injustice, illegality, impunity and recklessness," adding that it would not stand. He alleged that the commission was acting on a script alongside the police to paralyse and frustrate government activities in Osun State in order to pave the way for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). "This unconstitutional action of the EFCC shall be challenged in court as the temple of justice and last hope of all aggrieved citizens," Mgbudem said. He further alleged that the anti-graft agency could not obtain a court order to freeze the accounts because it knew such an application would not succeed.
The Accord Party chairman also called on security agencies and other institutions involved in the Osun election to remain impartial and operate within the law. "Electoral contest is not warfare. It should not be militarised by deploying federal apparatus to suppress, subdue and oppress political opponents and their supporters to favour a party that has been rejected by the people," he said. He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election, and called on election observers, civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association, the media, and development partners to speak out against actions capable of undermining the credibility of the election.
Mgbudem further appealed to President Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police to release the remaining 60 Accord members whom the party claimed were being detained in Abuja, Osun and Nasarawa states. He said the release of the detainees would help reduce political tension ahead of the election. The party also urged Osun residents to come out on August 15 and vote, insisting that every vote must be counted and reflected in the final result.
The Osun State Chairman of the Accord Party, Victor Akande, also criticised the EFCC's timing, describing the decision to freeze the account just days before the election as wrong and capable of creating unnecessary political tension. Speaking during an interview with ARISE Television, he said the anti-graft agency's sudden move opened the door for widespread suspicion and political conspiracy theories. "We are not saying the EFCC should not carry out its responsibilities, but why a few days to the election? They gave room for the public to have misconceptions, and that is what is happening," Akande stated.
The controversy has drawn widespread reactions from political parties, legal experts, and civil society organisations, with many questioning the independence of Nigeria's anti-corruption agencies and the timing of the EFCC's action. The Nigerian Bar Association had earlier warned that restricting withdrawals from a state government's accounts without an express court order could cripple governance and amount to an abuse of power. President Tinubu, in a personally signed statement on Thursday, August 6, directed the EFCC to vacate the freeze, describing the timing of the action as "deeply embarrassing" and potentially damaging to public confidence in the democratic process.
As the Osun governorship election draws nearer, the Accord Party's demand for the EFCC chairman's resignation has added a new layer of political tension to an already charged atmosphere. The party has made it clear that it will not relent in its push for accountability, insisting that the integrity of Nigeria's anti-corruption institutions must be restored and that those who violate democratic principles must be held accountable.
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