APC, Osun govt differ over Tinubu’s intervention in EFCC account freeze row

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Osun State Government have taken opposing positions on President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the controversy surrounding the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) restriction on the state’s accounts. While the APC demanded an apology from Governor Ademola Adeleke, the state government described the President’s action as statesmanlike.

The Director of Media and Information of the Osun APC, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, told Western Post that Adeleke and his political associates should apologise to President Tinubu, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, and the APC for allegedly accusing them of instigating the EFCC’s action against the state government. He maintained that the president’s intervention did not clear the state government of the allegations but was only intended to prevent political interpretations of the timing of the restriction.

Olabisi said, “What the president is frowning at is the timing of the EFCC action against the Osun State Government so that political meanings would not be read into it. With the presidential directive on the EFCC/Osun State conundrum, the president has genuinely shown himself to be the true father of the nation”.

Reacting, the Deputy Spokesperson to the Osun State Governor, Oladele Bamiji, commended Tinubu for directing the EFCC to vacate the restriction, describing the move as a demonstration of statesmanship. He argued that the president’s intervention confirmed the government’s claim that some APC members in Osun had been using Tinubu’s name to justify actions against the state.

“APC elements in Osun State were merely dropping the name of Mr President to perpetrate evil against the people of Osun State because what they are doing is not just against the government of Governor Ademola Adeleke but essentially against the people of Osun State,” he said.

He added that Osun had become the focus of both local and international observers ahead of the governorship election and that whatever happened in the state would reflect on the President. Bamiji also said Tinubu’s reported expression of embarrassment over the EFCC’s action echoed the feelings of many Nigerians.

Also reacting, the Executive Director of the Socio-Economic and Civic Rights Advocacy (SECRA), Comrade Olowu Emmanuel Aiyedun, said the EFCC had the constitutional authority to investigate financial crimes and temporarily restrict suspicious accounts under the law. However, he noted that the timing of the action, coming just days before the governorship election, raised concerns about its impact on governance and the electoral process.

Aiyedun commended Tinubu’s intervention, saying the directive to vacate the freezing order was necessary to preserve public confidence in the credibility and fairness of the August 15 governorship election.