The Accord Party has called for the immediate resignation of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, over the commission’s decision to freeze the bank accounts of the Osun State Government.
The party, however, praised President Bola Tinubu for directing the anti-graft agency to reverse the action, describing the President’s intervention as timely and necessary ahead of the August 15 Osun governorship election.
Speaking at a press conference held on Friday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Accord National Chairman, Chief Maxwell Mgbudem, accused the EFCC of compromising its neutrality by allegedly interfering in the political affairs of Osun State.
He said the party had lost confidence in the current leadership of the commission, stating that its actions had cast doubt on its impartiality.
“Accord welcomes President Tinubu’s timely intervention in this critical national issue and urges security agencies, anti-graft commissions, the electoral umpire and relevant democratic institutions to strictly abide by their statutory responsibilities and democratic principles,” Mgbudem said.
The Accord chairman insisted that Olukoyede should resign in the interest of the commission’s credibility, adding that President Tinubu should dismiss him if he failed to step down voluntarily.
“For embarrassing the President, the government, the people of Osun State and Nigerians, the EFCC chairman should take the path of honour and resign. If he refuses, President Tinubu should sack him immediately to restore the integrity of the anti-graft agency,” he stated.
Mgbudem also stressed that there should be no sacred cows in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-corruption institutions,
The party further urged security agencies and all institutions involved in the Osun governorship election to remain impartial and discharge their responsibilities in line with the law and appealed to election observers, civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association, the media and opposition parties to remain vigilant against actions capable of undermining the credibility of the election.
Mgbudem further urged President Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to facilitate the release of about 60 Accord members the party claimed were still being detained in Abuja, Osun and Nasarawa states.
He said releasing the detainees would help reduce political tension ahead of the governorship election and appealed to Osun residents to come out and vote peacefully.
NPO Reports recalls that the EFCC froze the state’s account domicilied with First Bank on Wednesday.
According to the anti-graft agency, it had been investigating the Osun State Government since March 2026 over alleged fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). The investigation involves N11 billion in public funds linked to the state’s financial transactions.
However, President Tinubu later in a statement distanced himself from the decision, noting that actions taken by federal institutions are often attributed to him whether or not he had prior knowledge of them.
He subsequently directed the EFCC to return to court and vacate the order freezing the State Government’s accounts.