​Calls for the dismissal of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman Ola Olukoyede reached a crescendo on Friday, August 7, 2026, as opposition parties and civic groups intensified demands for his removal over the controversial freezing of the Osun State Government’s bank accounts.
​The wave of backlash follows President Bola Tinubu’s emergency directive on Thursday ordering the anti-graft agency to lift the restriction on Osun State’s statutory allocation account, describing the timing, just eight days before the state’s August 15 governorship election as “deeply embarrassing.”
​At a world press conference hosted on Friday at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja, Accord National Chairman Maxwell Mgbudem led political stakeholders in demanding Olukoyede’s immediate exit.
​”The leadership of the EFCC under Ola Olukoyede has exhibited unprecedented political bias, severely undermining public trust in Nigeria’s anti-corruption architecture,” Mgbudem stated. “Mr. Olukoyede should toe the path of honor and resign immediately. Should he refuse to step aside, President Bola Tinubu must sack him to restore credibility to our democratic institutions.”
​Mgbudem warned against using state apparatus to intimidate political opponents ahead of the August 15 poll, where Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke faces a heated re-election contest.
​The debate escalated further following conflicting statements regarding how the restriction was imposed. Appearing on Arise News on Thursday evening, EFCC Director of Public Affairs Wilson Uwujaren defended the commission’s initial move, explaining that a temporary Post No Debit (PND) restriction was placed on First Bank Account No. 2017170947 to preserve funds amidst an investigation into the alleged mismanagement of ₦11 billion in Ecology, Social Intervention, and FAAC funds dating back to March 2026.
​However, legal experts and institutional observers quickly challenged the procedure: NBA President Afam Osigwe emphasized that the EFCC lacks the administrative power to instruct commercial banks to freeze state accounts without a valid court order.
In a statement released Thursday, President Tinubu noted the commission claimed to have obtained a court order on August 5, 2026, creating a conflict with the EFCC’s public statements on whether a court order was secured before or after the restriction.
​Not all opposition voices aligned with the call for Olukoyede’s sack. Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Friday, Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo rejected demands for the EFCC chief’s removal, arguing that the agency was operating within its legal mandate.
​Instead, Adebayo turned his criticism directly toward the President, describing executive interference in law enforcement operations as unconstitutional.
​”The person who should resign is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not the EFCC chairman,” Adebayo argued. “If the EFCC wrongly froze the Osun State account, the proper recourse was for the state Attorney General to approach the court for relief. Executive directives ordering an anti-graft agency to reverse its legal actions setting dangerous precedents.”
​Across digital channels and social media platforms on Friday, citizens, civil society actors, and political commentators expressed outrage over the episode. Critics questioned why an investigation running since March 2026 resulted in an account freeze days before an election, alleging that the timing was calculated to hinder state administrative operations and salary payments.
​While senior Presidency aides, including Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, confirmed that President Tinubu spoke directly with Governor Adeleke to assure him of the directive to lift the order, public demands for structural reforms and accountability within the EFCC continue to grow.
