The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 election, Adewole Adebayo, has faulted calls for the resignation of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, insisting that President Bola Tinubu should instead accept responsibility for the controversy surrounding the freezing of Osun State Government accounts.
Speaking during a press briefing at the SDP national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, Adebayo argued that the President’s reported directive ordering the anti-graft agency to lift the restriction on the state’s accounts exposed political interference in an institution established to operate independently.
The controversy erupted after President Tinubu reportedly directed the EFCC to reverse its decision to freeze Osun State Government accounts less than 10 days before the state’s August 15 governorship election. The President was said to have expressed displeasure with the commission’s action, describing it as an embarrassment to his administration, a development that has since sparked criticism from opposition politicians, legal experts and civil society organisations.
Rejecting demands for Olukoyede’s resignation, Adebayo maintained that the EFCC chairman was merely exercising powers granted under existing laws.
“The person who ought to resign is President Bola Tinubu. I really don’t have enough evidence to suggest that the EFCC chairman should go. The only person who is at fault here is the President himself,” he said.
Adebayo argued that if the EFCC had acted unlawfully by freezing the state’s accounts, the matter should be settled through the courts rather than executive intervention.
He also alleged that the President’s reported directive amounted to political interference in the affairs of an independent anti-corruption agency.
According to him, the EFCC chairman has the legal authority to freeze accounts where necessary for investigations, provided such actions are subject to judicial oversight.
His comments came as criticism of the commission’s handling of the matter intensified.
Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, also joined those calling for Olukoyede’s resignation, arguing that the EFCC chairman’s position became untenable after the President publicly directed the commission to reverse its decision.
The controversy has further heightened political tension ahead of the August 15 Osun governorship election, with opposition parties and civil society groups raising concerns about the independence of federal institutions and their role in the electoral process.
