The Freezing Of Osun State Account And The Assault On Nigerian Democracy -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

The news of the blocking of the Osun State’s Federal Statutory Allocation Account domiciled in First Bank, ten days to the state’s gubernatorial election scheduled for 15^th August 2026 by the operatives of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) is trending. It is generation ripples and outrage in the mass media with many questioning the legality and timing of such action. Many concerned observers believe that the action was meant to cripple the activities of the state and give the All Progressives Congress (APC) the chance to reclaim the control of the state that they lost to the opposition in the last election in their desperate bid to turn the country into one-party state.

The EFCC on its part tried vainly to defend its action. In a press statement issued by the commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC said investigations into the finances of the Osun State Government had been ongoing since March 2026 over the alleged fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations amounting to about N11 billion. The agency insisted the action was part of its statutory responsibility to protect public funds and denied suggestions that the timing was politically motivated. The Commission claims to have noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved stating that already several state officials, including the Accountant-General, had been questioned by investigators as part of the probe.

But nobody is taken in by the excuses made by the Commission to justify its action. Many see their action and rightly too as politically-motivated. It is an act of impunity. And I believe the EFCC cannot take such daring decision without the “orders from above.” A civil society group that gave the EFCC ultimatum to defreeze the Osun State accounts summarized the action of the EFCC thusly: “this action is not merely an administrative decision; it is an unprecedented assault on constitutional democracy and a dangerous attempt to undermine the sovereign will of the people of Osun State. It represents yet another phase in what appears to be a systematic effort by the APC-led Federal Government to deploy federal institutions in pursuit of political advantage instead of allowing the people to freely and fairly determine their political future through the ballot.”

Now, the questions on the lips of every concerned observer are: Does the EFCC have the right to freeze a state government account? What transactions in a state that carries out multiple activities with individuals and corporate entities can be classified as suspicious? Why does it monitor the Osun State government account? Does the EFCC perform oversight function on state activities? Is the EFCC part of the state or federal legislatures? Why would the freezing of the account be this period of the state’s gubernatorial election? Why would it be the Osun State; how many APC-controlled state has the commission place such restrictions on their accounts?

And the public analyze the situation, all fingers are pointing at Presidency because of its antecedent. Since coming to power, Tinubu has been using the nation’s security agencies and the anti-corruption agencies to fight personal battles instead of fighting insecurity, crime and corruption while there is a horde of individuals with pending corrupt cases dinning with him. And nobody is deceived by the order given to the EFCC by Tinubu today to vacate the court order freezing the Osun State’s accounts after the outrage and warnings by the Civil Society groups and demonstrations in Osun State. We know it was all a face-saving act.

Indeed many Nigerians have always expressed outrage at the misuse of the anti-graft agencies by the executive arm of the government. Since the time of OBJ when the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) was established in 2004. But never before had the agency been so misused than in the current regime of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The EFCC exists as a weapon in the hands of Tinubu to intimidate and hound every opposition and perceived enemy of the government. Clearly, the agency has never served the purpose of its establishment. It will look the other way in the face of corruption only to chase those who are not in the good books of the president. The EFCC has outlived its usefulness and should be scrapped forthwith. The NASS should consider amending the law establishing the agency for it has never fought economic crimes.

In this case, it is not difficult to see that the EFCC action is clearly ultra vires. The chairman of the commission must resign for overstepping his bounds. The NASS must call the EFCC and other state security agencies to order. Their duty is to protect the nation and the citizens not to work at the whims and caprices of the president. Also, our judges should be warned to desist from issuing frivolous and contradictory orders.

Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

hajiahadizamohammed@gmail.com

An actress, social activist, politician

London, UK