EFCC interference in Osun governorship election unacceptable — TICC

The Imole Campaign Council (TICC) on Wednesday accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of going beyond its mandate by interfering in the upcoming governorship election in Osun State, describing the freezing of the Osun State Government’s account a few days before the election as a brazen abuse of authority and an attack on the people.

The Chairman of the TICC Media and Publicity Committee, Rep. Bamidele Salam, in a terse statement made available to journalists in Abuja, specifically accused the commission of executing a coup against the political expression of over five million citizens of Osun State.

He said: “It is quite ludicrous that a body set up to fight infractions in the society is invariably enabling it. Nothing other than politics can accurately explain the reprehensible action of the EFCC to freeze the account of Osun State Government just 10 days to election in which the incumbent is a candidate.

“By implication, the EFCC, as a body set up by law, is frustrating a sub-national government from carrying out its lawful duties of paying salaries and allowances, pensions, fixing infrastructure, addressing security challenges and carrying out other responsibilities which the Nigerian Constitution has entrusted to the state.”

He further alleged that: “EFCC has, in other words, executed a coup against the democratic expression of over 5 million citizens of a supposedly democratic country.

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“In plain sight, what the EFCC has done is to recklessly weaponise its authority to exert economic pressure on Osun people in a bid to coerce them into a predetermined political choice.

“With the politically motivated action of the EFCC, many essential services, including planning for some public health interventions, can no longer go on.

“This is very unfair to Osun people because we believe that public institutions should never become a political weapon against ordinary citizens.

“As much as we are not opposed to accountability in governance, we state our total rejection of political witch-hunting disguised as the fight against corruption.

“The EFCC’s approach, timing and subsequent posture all have politics written all over them, and we want to call on the anti-graft body to immediately stop further attempts to interfere with the will of the Osun people.

“We maintain that the people of Osun have every right to make democratic choices through the poll and, as such, will not accept the subtle attempt by the EFCC to subdue their will through abuse of authority.

“We therefore call on the EFCC to immediately unfreeze the account so that governance can continue and the people can get the services they deserve,” Rep. Salam stressed.