The Accord Party has demanded the immediate resignation of EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede over the freezing of Osun State Government accounts.
The party said it no longer has confidence in Olukoyede’s leadership, accusing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of allowing partisan considerations to influence its actions ahead of the Osun governorship election.
Accord National Chairman, Chief Maxwell Mgbudem, made the demand while addressing journalists at a press conference in Abuja on Friday.
Mgbudem also praised President Bola Tinubu for intervening in the dispute and ordering the EFCC to reverse the action against the state government’s accounts.
According to him, the presidential directive was necessary to prevent the controversy from damaging confidence in Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
“Accord believes the EFCC must operate above political interests and remain firmly within the limits of the law,” Mgbudem said.
He alleged that the commission’s handling of the Osun accounts had raised serious questions about its neutrality, particularly with the governorship election scheduled for August 15 approaching.
The party chairman said Olukoyede should accept responsibility for what he described as conduct capable of undermining the reputation of the anti-corruption agency.
“If the EFCC chairman refuses to resign, the President should take the necessary step to remove him and restore confidence in the commission,” he said.
Accord further appealed to security agencies, anti-corruption institutions and other government bodies to avoid actions that could give any political party an unfair advantage during the election.
Mgbudem warned against deploying federal institutions to harass or intimidate political opponents, stressing that the electoral process must not be turned into a contest dominated by security forces.
He also charged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, with ensuring that the Osun governorship poll is conducted transparently and credibly.
The party urged civil society organisations, election observers, journalists and opposition parties to closely monitor developments before and during the election.
It said vigilance would be necessary to prevent actions by state institutions from weakening public confidence in the electoral process.
The controversy began after the EFCC froze accounts belonging to the Osun State Government as part of an investigation into alleged financial misconduct.
The commission had defended the move as part of its statutory responsibility to investigate suspected financial crimes.
President Tinubu later directed the EFCC to return to court and seek the reversal of the order affecting the state government’s accounts.
The President also noted that actions taken by federal agencies are frequently linked to the Presidency, regardless of whether he was personally aware of such decisions beforehand.