Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) freezing of the Osun State Government’s statutory allocation account, describing the action as a dangerous assault on democracy.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku expressed deep concern over the timing of the restriction, which came days before the state’s governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026.
“It is impossible to ignore the implications of freezing a state’s principal operational account on the eve of a governorship election,” Atiku said. “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 former Vice President argued that while anti-corruption agencies have a legitimate duty to investigate alleged wrongdoing, their actions must follow due process and must not create the perception that state institutions are being deployed to influence political outcomes or weaken elected governments at critical electoral moments.
He linked the latest development to earlier controversies involving the prolonged denial of statutory local government allocations to Osun State, stating that the pattern raises serious questions about the neutrality of federal institutions.
“Coming after the prolonged denial of Osun State’s statutory local government allocations, this latest action reinforces the disturbing impression that public institutions are being weaponised to punish political opponents rather than serve the Nigerian people,” Atiku noted.
He further warned that freezing the state’s allocation account constitutes not merely an attack on the Osun State Government but a direct assault on the people of the state, whose salaries, essential public services and daily governance stand to suffer.
Atiku called on the EFCC to immediately reverse the freezing of the account and urged all institutions involved in the forthcoming election to act with fairness, restraint and full respect for the Constitution, insisting that only the electorate should determine the outcome of the poll.
“The anti-corruption mandate of the EFCC must never be distorted into a political weapon against opposition governments,” he concluded.