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ABUJA – The Accord Party on Friday threw its weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s directive reversing the freezing of Osun State Government’s bank accounts, but escalated the political storm by demanding the immediate resignation of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), warning that the President should sack him if he refuses to step down.
Addressing a world press conference at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, National Chairman of Accord, Chief Maxwell Mgbudem, described the anti-graft agency’s action as unconstitutional, politically reckless and damaging to Nigeria’s democratic image, insisting that the EFCC leadership had lost the confidence of the party.
Mgbudem commended Tinubu for what he called a timely intervention that prevented a deeper constitutional crisis, saying the President’s directive to immediately unfreeze the Osun Government’s accounts restored public confidence and averted what could have become a major assault on democratic governance ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
He, however, maintained that the EFCC chairman must accept responsibility for what he described as an embarrassing abuse of office by resigning immediately, arguing that failure to do so should compel the President to remove him in order to restore the credibility of the anti-corruption agency.
According to him, the commission’s decision to freeze the state’s accounts amounted to a blatant violation of the Constitution and reinforced fears of attempts to manipulate the forthcoming governorship election through federal institutions.
The Accord chairman further alleged that the party and its supporters had come under sustained attacks in Osun State, accusing security agencies of failing to protect members despite repeated reports of alleged killings, intimidation, harassment, destruction of campaign offices and billboards, and attacks allegedly carried out by political thugs.
He said the deployment of a new Commissioner of Police to the state by the Inspector-General of Police had raised hopes of improved security before the EFCC’s intervention reignited political tension.
Mgbudem urged security agencies to remain neutral and discharge their constitutional responsibilities professionally, warning against the use of federal institutions to intimidate opposition parties or influence the electoral process.
He also appealed to the President and the Inspector-General of Police to facilitate the immediate release of about 60 Accord members reportedly detained in Abuja, Osun and Nasarawa states, describing their continued detention as capable of heightening political tension.
The party reaffirmed its support for Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, insisting that his administration had delivered transformational leadership deserving of a second term.
It called on voters to turn out massively on August 15 to re-elect the governor, while urging them to protect their votes and ensure that every lawful ballot counts.
Accord also challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a free, fair, credible and transparent election, insisting that the Osun poll would serve as a critical test of Nigeria’s electoral credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party further appealed to the international community, civil society organisations, election observers, the Nigerian Bar Association, development partners and the media to closely monitor the governorship election and resist any action capable of undermining the democratic will of the people.
Mgbudem expressed confidence that Accord would emerge victorious in the poll, maintaining that the party had fulfilled its promises to the people despite what he described as sustained attempts by political opponents to destabilise the Adeleke administration.