By Oluwakemi Kindness
The Accord Party has called for the immediate resignation of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, over the freezing of the Osun State Government’s bank accounts.
The party also praised President Bola Tinubu for directing the anti-graft agency to unfreeze the accounts, describing the intervention as timely.
Speaking at a news conference in Abuja on Friday, Accord National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, said the President’s action helped prevent further political tension ahead of the August 15 Osun governorship election.
Mgbudem accused the EFCC of acting in a partisan manner and said the commission had lost public confidence over its handling of the Osun matter.
He argued that Olukoyede should resign for allegedly embarrassing the President, the government and the people of Osun State.
According to him, if the EFCC chairman fails to step down, President Tinubu should remove him from office to restore the integrity of the anti-corruption agency.
The Accord chairman also urged security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other democratic institutions to remain impartial and carry out their constitutional responsibilities without political interference.
He warned against using security agencies to intimidate political opponents, insisting that elections should not be militarised.
Mgbudem called on INEC to conduct a free, fair and credible governorship election, while urging election observers, civil society groups, the Nigerian Bar Association, the media and development partners to monitor the process closely.
He also appealed to President Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu to release 60 Accord members the party claimed were detained in Abuja, Osun and Nasarawa states.
According to him, releasing the detainees would help ease political tension before the poll.
The EFCC had frozen the Osun State Government’s accounts earlier this week, saying it acted within its legal powers to restrict accounts suspected to be linked to financial crimes.
The commission maintained that it could freeze accounts for up to 72 hours without a court order before seeking judicial approval for an extension.
However, President Tinubu later directed the EFCC to return to court and vacate the order, saying actions by federal agencies are often attributed to him whether or not he approved them beforehand.
