EFCC boss in sack storm over Osun

Calls for the removal of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, intensified on Friday as opposition parties and some Nigerians responded to the freezing of the Osun State Government’s account.

They described the action of the anti-graft agency as politically motivated, alleging that the commission had demonstrated partisanship ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

The Accord Party, New Nigeria People’s Patry and many netizens asked President Bola Tinubu to sack Olukoyede if he did not resign.

Some groups, however, asked the EFCC boss to leave honourably after the President disowned his action.

The EFCC had on Wednesday ordered a Post No Bill on the Osun State Government account domiciled with First Bank on the grounds of suspicious transactions.

The commission claimed that it had been investigating the account since March 2026 and that it had the power to freeze an account for 72 hours based on reasonable suspicion.

But the President, on Thursday, directed the EFCC to unfreeze the account, describing the commission’s action as embarrassing.

Saturday PUNCH notes that the EFCC’s statement explaining its action generated more than 4,500 comments on X alone, with the majority criticising the move 10 days to the governorship election.

Similarly, the Special Adviser to the President, Bayo Onanuga’s tweet announcing the reversal of the action attracted over 1,600 comments, with many slamming both Tinubu and the EFCC.

We’ve lost confidence in EFCC – Accord Party

Commenting on the matter, the National Chairman of Accord Party, Maxwell Mgbudem, said the party had lost confidence in the leadership of the EFCC, alleging that the commission’s action was political.

Mgbudem, who addressed a world press conference at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Friday, said Olukoyede needed to resign.

“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.

“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,” he said.

Mgbudem insisted that there should be no “sacred cow” in efforts to sanitise the anti-corruption agency and strengthen Nigeria’s democratic system.

The party also urged security agencies and other institutions involved in the Osun election to remain impartial and operate within the law.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the National Chairman of the NNPP, Major Agbo, also backed calls for Olukoyede’s resignation, even as he raised concerns over the perceived erosion of the EFCC’s independence.

He said the President ought to have allowed the commission to complete its investigation instead of intervening.

Agbo said, “When I saw the President’s order directing that the account be unfrozen, I was surprised because, if I were him, I would have allowed the EFCC to do its job. It does not matter when it acted. The timing may have been wrong, but what is important is that it was carrying out its mandate.

“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.”

Asked whether he supported calls for Olukoyede’s resignation, Agbo replied, “Yes. Sadly, it has to happen.”

Also, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, advised Olukoyede to consider stepping down to protect his reputation.

“Ultimately, if I were Olukoyede, in order to save my reputation and integrity, I would leave while the ovation is loudest. Otherwise, there will be more problems for him in the near future.”

He said Tinubu’s directive had created the impression that the EFCC chairman was acting under political influence.

“The kind of response I got from the EFCC shows that Olukoyede tried to assert his independence. It seems the directive from a higher authority made him look like a puppet.

“So, the problem is actually with the person giving the directive, not the person executing it,” Tanko added.

Resign now, netizens tell Olukoyede

Similarly, netizens who commented on Onanuga’s post expressed disappointment in the EFCC’s action.

An X user, Omashola Sagay, wrote, “Please sack the EFCC chairman. What he did was very wrong and out of place, considering the timing of his decision. I’m very sure some APC bigwigs in Osun State influenced his decision, and it has boomeranged against you, a well-known democratic leader.”

Kene Eruchalu, who also commented, wrote, “He has stayed too long for whatever good he has done. In the name of God, he should go”, while Moses Chuks-Agu said, “The EFCC under his watch is serving the interests of the ruling APC and the Presidency. I support his removal.”

Another user, AndrewOkere, wrote, “It is time to call time on this corruption of anti-corruption. Mr Chairman, in God’s name, please go!”

Bright Gilbert said, “The best thing for him is to tender his resignation,” while Nwabueze Ukoha wrote, “This is shameful. Complete political interference. You have confirmed that this organisation is an arm of the APC, aiming to arm-twist the Governor of Osun State before election day. Check the history of other EFCC chairmen; they ended in disgrace. You will end in shame too.”

Similarly, @nze_Anambra wrote, “If I were the EFCC chairman, I would just resign. Why must Tinubu throw him under the bus like that? They should have been smarter about this and staged a court process that would have ordered the EFCC to unfreeze the account. Instead, Tinubu gave the order and exposed the fact that he has been directing the EFCC on who to target or not target among his political opponents.”

Presidency, Falana reject resignation call

However, insiders in the Presidency dismissed suggestions that the episode could cost Olukoyede his job.

According to the officials, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, Tinubu’s frustration was directed at the timing and optics of the EFCC’s action rather than at Olukoyede’s leadership of the commission.

“No, he still has his job. The fact that the President said he was embarrassed by the EFCC’s move does not mean he will be fired,” one of the insiders familiar with the matter said.

A second source, who said he spoke directly with the EFCC chairman on Wednesday night, added, “I spoke with him last night. He still has his job. Do you get fired every time you have a disagreement with your boss? No, it doesn’t mean he will be fired.

“Someone had to take the fall, and in this case, it is the EFCC chairman. That alone is not a basis for dismissal.”

Also, human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, absolved Olukoyede of wrongdoing while condemning Tinubu’s directive.

Falana, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH on Friday, said the EFCC acted within its statutory mandate and that the President had no power to direct the affairs of the anti-graft agency.

“Has the President said the EFCC has no power? Did the EFCC act within its mandate? Don’t you know the EFCC went to court to obtain an order? If a court made an order against you, are you not supposed to approach the court to set it aside? Has the Osun State Government not filed an application to set aside the order?

“The President has no such power. In fact, there is no legal nexus between the President and the EFCC.

“It was reported that over 30 people have been killed in Osun. Why is the President not talking about that? Has anybody been prosecuted? You can only talk about embarrassment where there is no court order. The EFCC has the power under the law to freeze any account for up to 72 hours where it suspects fraudulent activity before obtaining a court order.”

Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Ken Asogwa, said he would not support what he described as the “extreme” position of asking the EFCC chairman to resign.

He, however, expressed concern over what he described as the President’s interference in the EFCC’s affairs.

“The worrying part of Mr President’s directive is that if he could single-handedly direct the EFCC to unfreeze the Osun State Government’s account, then it follows that he can also direct the commission to take certain decisions.

“As I said, it speaks volumes that Mr President could, on his own, direct an independent anti-corruption agency to unfreeze the account. That is actually very worrisome,” Asogwa said.

Reps minority caucus query contradictions

In a related development, the minority caucus of the House of Representatives has accused the Tinubu-led government of contradicting itself over the EFCC’s freezing of the Osun State Government’s account, describing the president’s directive to reverse it as a “panicky, belated afterthought.”

The lawmakers said the development had exposed what they described as a deeper pattern of intimidation, economic pressure and misuse of federal institutions against Osun ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

The caucus, in a statement jointly signed by its Leader, Fredrick Agbedi, and spokesman, Afam Ogene, and issued in Abuja on Friday, said the President’s directive for the EFCC to return to court and vacate the restriction on Osun’s accounts came only after what it called “massive public outcry.”

The lawmakers hinged their criticism on what they described as a glaring contradiction between the EFCC’s public explanation of its action and the President’s subsequent directive.

The caucus noted that EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, had said on national television on Thursday that the restriction placed on the account was imposed ‘without a valid court order.’

However, later the same day, Tinubu directed the anti-graft agency to approach the court to vacate the order.

The minority caucus said the conflicting positions raised fundamental questions about who authorised the EFCC action and whether the Federal Government was aware of the commission’s conduct.

“So, which is it? Was there a court order or not?” the lawmakers asked.

“Is the President not aware of what his own appointees are saying and doing? Has the President lost control to his army of sycophants who behave like lords over the people? Or are they simply trying to hide an illegality that has already been exposed?,” it asked.

The caucus said the episode was evidence of “a government at war with itself,” arguing that Tinubu could not distance himself from an action his administration had initially defended.

“It is, therefore, insulting for the President to pretend. Nigerians are not fools,” the lawmakers said.

Beyond the EFCC controversy, the opposition lawmakers alleged that the account restriction was only the latest incident in a wider campaign of pressure against the Osun State Government and the electorate ahead of the governorship poll.

They accused the Federal Government of withholding or seizing statutory allocations meant for Osun local governments, describing the alleged action as an attempt to financially cripple grassroots administration.

“For months, the Federal Government has illegally withheld and seized statutory allocations due to Osun Local Governments,” the caucus alleged, describing the situation as “economic strangulation aimed at crippling governance at the grassroots ahead of elections.”

The lawmakers also raised allegations of political violence in the state, accusing APC members and alleged imported thugs of perpetrating violence while claiming that the police had failed to respond adequately.

The minority caucus also noted that the developments in Osun could have implications beyond the August 15 election, describing them as a possible indication of how federal institutions could be deployed in future elections.

“The mask is off. Nigerians can now see clearly that the APC has weaponised federal institutions against opposition states — a dress rehearsal of what is to come in the 2027 general elections,” the lawmakers said.

Document proves EFCC obtained court order

But a certified true copy of the court order obtained by the EFCC and seen by Saturday PUNCH showed that the commission secured an order of the Federal High Court in Abuja to freeze three accounts belonging to the Osun State Government.

The order, issued on August 5, 2026, by Justice M.G. Umar in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1750/2026, followed an ex-parte application filed by the EFCC chairman.

The court authorised the EFCC boss or any officer empowered by him to instruct the affected banks to freeze the accounts, which the order said were “currently being investigated in a case of diversion of public funds and money laundering”, pending the conclusion of investigation and prosecution.

The accounts listed are Osun State Government Federal Allocation Account with First Bank, account number 2017170947, and two Osun State Joint Allocation Accounts with Zenith Bank, account numbers 1013374191 and 1014374909. (Punch)