Former Vice President of Nigeria and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has raised serious concerns over the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) decision to freeze the Osun State Government’s statutory allocation account just days before the state’s governorship election.
Atiku described the move as a reckless action amounts to a dangerous assault on democracy, warning that it raises troubling questions about the neutrality of institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law. He insisted that there was no justification for such an action on the eve of a critical election.
TheFact Daily reports that EFCC while justifying the action said it was part of an ongoing corruption investigation and was unrelated to the forthcoming governorship election in the state. It said it has been investigating the Osun State Government since March 2026 over the alleged fraudulent management of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), involving about ₦11 billion. According to the EFCC, several state officials, including the Accountant-General, have been questioned as part of the investigation.
However, in a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the timing of the action was deeply troubling and capable of undermining public confidence in the credibility of the electoral process.
“It is impossible to ignore the implications of freezing a state’s principal operational account on the eve of a governorship election. Such an action could disrupt governance, delay salary payments, impede essential public services and create an atmosphere of intimidation that has no place in a democratic society,” the statement read.
Atiku argued that where legitimate concerns exist, due process under the law should be followed, cautioning anti-corruption agencies against conduct that creates the impression that they are being deployed to sway political outcomes or weaken elected governments during sensitive electoral periods.
He further stressed that Nigeria’s democracy depends not only on free and fair elections but also on public confidence that institutions of state act independently, professionally and without political interference.
“The selective and politically convenient deployment of state institutions diminishes public trust and weakens the democratic order. Institutions established to enforce the law must never become instruments for creating fear or conferring political advantage,” he said.
According to Atiku, a troubling pattern has emerged under the Tinubu administration, where opposition-controlled states appear to be the consistent targets of coercive federal actions. He linked the latest development to what he described as prolonged denial of Osun State’s statutory local government allocations, saying the action reinforces the disturbing impression that public institutions are being weaponised to punish political opponents rather than serve the Nigerian people.
Atiku called on the EFCC to immediately reverse the freeze, describing it as an assault not just on the state government but on the people of Osun State, whose salaries and access to public services could be jeopardised.
“The anti-corruption mandate of the EFCC must never be distorted into a political weapon against opposition governments,” he said.
Atiku urged all institutions involved in the conduct of the Osun governorship election to act with restraint, impartiality and fidelity to the Constitution, insisting that the outcome must be determined solely by the people of Osun State without external interference.
