In a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, and posted on the official X account of his media aide, Paul Ibe, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate said the timing of the action, just days before the Osun governorship election scheduled for 15 August, raises serious questions about the neutrality of institutions meant to uphold the rule of law.
Atiku argued that freezing a state’s principal operational account on the eve of a major election could disrupt governance, delay salary payments, impede essential public services and create an atmosphere of intimidation incompatible with democratic norms.
“The timing of this action is deeply troubling and capable of undermining public confidence in the credibility of the electoral process,” he said. “It is impossible to ignore the implications of freezing a state’s principal operational account on the eve of a governorship election.”
He maintained that where legitimate concerns exist, the law provides for due process, and anti-corruption agencies must avoid any conduct that creates the perception they are being used to influence political outcomes or weaken elected governments at critical moments.
The former vice president linked the freeze to what he called a broader pattern under the Tinubu administration, in which opposition-controlled states appear to be consistent targets of coercive federal actions. He cited the earlier prolonged denial of Osun’s statutory local government allocations as part of the same trend.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the pattern under the Tinubu administration, where opposition-controlled states appear to be the consistent targets of coercive federal actions,” Atiku stated. “Tinubu is waging a war against the opposition, not corruption.”
He called on the EFCC to immediately reverse the restriction, warning that the freeze constitutes not only an attack on the Osun State Government but a direct assault on the people of the state 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 said.
Atiku also urged all institutions involved in the Osun election to exercise restraint and impartiality, insisting that only the people of the state should determine the outcome without external interference that could cast a shadow over the democratic process.
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