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 it as a dangerous assault on democracy.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku expressed grave concern over the timing of the action, which came just days before the state’s governorship election.
He argued that restricting access to the state’s principal operational account could disrupt governance, delay workers’ salaries, impede essential public services, and create an atmosphere of intimidation that has no place in a democratic society.
“It is impossible to ignore the implications of freezing a state’s principal operational account on the eve of a governorship election,” Atiku said.The former vice president insisted there could be no justification for such a move so close to a critical poll. He maintained that while anti-corruption agencies have a duty to investigate alleged wrongdoing, their actions must follow due process and must not create the perception that state institutions are being used to influence political outcomes or weaken elected governments.
Atiku warned that Nigeria’s democracy depends not only on free and fair elections but also on public confidence that institutions 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 stated.
He further alleged a pattern under the Tinubu administration in which opposition-controlled states appear to be consistent targets of coercive federal actions. He linked the latest move to the earlier prolonged denial of Osun State’s statutory local government allocations, saying it reinforces the 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 freezing of the Osun State Government’s statutory allocation account, stressing that the action is not merely an attack on the state government but a direct assault on the people of Osun, whose salaries, public services, and daily governance stand to suffer.
“The anti-corruption mandate of the EFCC must never be distorted into a political weapon against opposition governments,” he added.
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