By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA — The Accord Party, on Friday, demanded the immediate resignation of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, accusing the anti-graft agency of partisanship and interference in the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.
The party said the demand followed the EFCC’s now-reversed freezing of the Osun State Government’s bank account, which it described as the latest in a series of actions that had heightened fears of institutional interference in the state’s electoral process.
Speaking at a world press conference in Abuja, Accord National Chairman, Chief Maxwell Mgbudem, said the party had lost confidence in the EFCC leadership and called on President Bola Tinubu to sack its chairman if he failed to resign.
“Having demonstrated unprecedented partisanship in the Osun State politics, assaulted the sensibilities of fellow compatriots and brought the nation to ridicule and disrepute before the international community, Accord has lost confidence in the current leadership of the EFCC,” Mgbudem said.
He accused the commission of exceeding its statutory mandate by freezing the state government’s account on August 5, saying the action threatened public confidence in democratic institutions.
“Accordingly, Accord demands the immediate resignation of the EFCC chairman. For embarrassing the President, the Party, the Government and people of Osun State and fellow citizens. The EFCC chairman should toe the path of honour and tender his resignation. If he fails to resign, President Tinubu should sack him immediately to restore the integrity of the anti-graft agency,” the Accord chairman stated.
The party chairman said the EFCC action came against the backdrop of what Accord described as months of political violence and intimidation in Osun, with members and supporters allegedly killed, shot, arrested, harassed and intimidated.
Mgbudem also alleged that the offices of the Imole Campaign Council and the party in the state had been attacked, while campaign billboards were destroyed by suspected thugs linked to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
According to him, Accord had reported the alleged attacks to security agencies and, in some cases, notified them ahead of planned incidents, but accused the authorities of failing to prevent the attacks or arrest those responsible.
He said the party had initially welcomed the decision by the Inspector-General of Police to deploy a new Commissioner of Police to Osun following public concern over the security situation, but alleged that the EFCC’s intervention had subsequently aggravated the political atmosphere.
Mgbudem said the development reinforced the party’s fears of an attempt to use federal institutions to weaken Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration ahead of the election.
“EFCC joined the Osun political fray hoping to succeed where the earlier compromised State Police Command failed by deliberately turning the law upside down to justify its unconstitutional action that threatened the foundations of the country’s emerging democracy,” he alleged.
But he commended Tinubu for intervening after the Osun State Government, Accord and other Nigerians appealed to him, saying the President’s order for the immediate reversal of the account freeze had helped avert further escalation.
“Accord welcomes President Tinubu’s timely intervention in this critical national issue and urges security agencies, anti-graft commissions, electoral umpire and relevant democratic institutions to strictly abide by their rules of engagement, statutory duties and democratic ethics,” Mgbudem said.
He, however, warned the Federal Government against deploying state institutions in a manner that could compromise the August 15 poll.
“Electoral contest is not a warfare. It should not be militarized by deploying federal apparatuses to suppress, subdue and oppress political opponents and their supporters to favour a party that has been rejected by the people,” he warned.
He said Osun residents must be allowed to freely choose their governor, insisting that Accord would not bow to intimidation.
The party chairman described Osun as an Accord stronghold and said Adeleke deserved a second term, citing his administration’s performance and what he called its delivery of dividends of democracy.
Mgbudem also alleged that there had been previous attempts to destabilise the state government, including a court action seeking the deregistration of Accord and four other political parties.
“It was to abruptly stop Adeleke’s transformative leadership that an attempt was made by the so-called former legislators to use the court to de-register Accord; four other political parties were merely added to cover-up their hidden agenda,” he said.
He further alleged that the paralysis of local government operations and withholding of federal allocations to the councils were part of efforts to weaken Adeleke’s administration.
According to him, those efforts had failed and would not stop the electorate from deciding the governor’s fate at the ballot box.
The party urged Osun voters to come out in large numbers on August 15, vote for Adeleke and protect their ballots, insisting that every vote must be counted and reflected in the final result.
It also charged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election, describing the poll as particularly important because it would be the last off-cycle governorship election before the 2027 general elections.
Accord urged INEC to adequately test its electoral materials and systems ahead of the poll, warning that glitches or operational failures could worsen an already tense political environment.
The party called on the international community, civil society organisations, election observer missions, the Nigerian Bar Association, (NBA), the media, development partners, opposition political parties and other stakeholders to closely monitor the election and speak out against any conduct capable of undermining its credibility.
It said the poll must be free from violence, intimidation, harassment, unlawful interference by security agencies, manipulation, voter suppression and vote-buying.
Security agencies, Accord said, must remain professional and impartial, with their constitutional responsibility limited to protecting lives, maintaining law and order and providing a secure environment for voters.
“The people of Osun State deserve nothing less than an election whose outcome genuinely reflects their freely expressed democratic choice,” the Accord chairman said.
The party also appealed to Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police to release what it described as the remaining 60 Accord members detained by the police in Abuja, Osun and Nasarawa states.
Mgbudem said the release of the detainees would help reduce the political tension surrounding the election.
He said Accord was fully prepared for the poll and expressed confidence that the party would emerge victorious on August 15.
“Accord is ready and prepared for the governorship election and will emerge victorious having fulfilled its campaign promises to the people in spite of the activities of detractors to frustrate Adeleke’s government,” he declared.
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