The Accord Party has demanded the immediate resignation of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, over the commission’s decision to freeze the bank accounts of the Osun State Government.
The party also urged President Bola Tinubu to remove Olukoyede if the EFCC chairman refuses to resign, accusing the anti-graft agency of exceeding its statutory powers and violating constitutional provisions.
The National Chairman of the party, Maxwell Mgbudem, made the demand on Friday at a press conference in Abuja.
Mgbudem said the EFCC’s action had undermined public confidence in the commission and embarrassed the Federal Government, particularly after President Tinubu directed the agency to immediately lift the restriction on the state government’s accounts.
The EFCC had announced on Wednesday that it froze the accounts over alleged fraudulent handling of state funds.
The commission said its investigation into the Osun State Government had been ongoing since March and that some officials, including the Accountant-General of the state, had been questioned by investigators.
According to the anti-graft agency, investigators observed what it described as huge transfers from the affected accounts to various corporate entities from August 2 while the investigation was ongoing.
However, the Osun State Government rejected the allegations, with the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, describing the EFCC’s position as an attempt to justify what the government considered an unlawful action.
The controversy escalated on Thursday when President Tinubu directed the EFCC to vacate the freeze order on the state government’s accounts.
Reacting to the development, Mgbudem said the President’s intervention was necessary to prevent what he described as a further erosion of democratic norms and the rule of law.
He said the Accord Party had lost confidence in the leadership of the EFCC following the freezing of the state’s accounts.
Mgbudem said, “Accordingly, Accord demands the immediate resignation of the EFCC chairman.
“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-corruption agency.”
He accused the commission of bringing Nigeria into disrepute before the international community and argued that anti-corruption agencies must operate strictly within the limits of the law.
The Accord chairman further called for greater adherence to constitutional and statutory responsibilities by security agencies, anti-graft bodies and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He also appealed to President Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to secure the release of 60 remaining Accord Party members allegedly detained in Abuja, Osun and Nasarawa states.
Mgbudem said there should be no preferential treatment in enforcing accountability, stressing that the fight against corruption must not undermine democratic institutions or constitutional safeguards.
The development comes amid heightened political activities in Osun State ahead of the 2026 governorship election, with competing political interests closely monitoring actions involving the state government and federal agencies.
The EFCC and the Osun State Government had yet to publicly respond to the Accord Party’s demand for Olukoyede’s resignation as of the time of filing this report.
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