By Ayomide Otitoju
The minority caucus of the House of Representatives has questioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s alleged control over the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) amid controversy surrounding the freezing of the Osun State Government’s account.
In a statement jointly signed by Minority Leader Fredrick Agbedi and the caucus spokesman, Afam Ogene, and made available to journalists in Abuja on Friday, the lawmakers described Tinubu’s directive for the EFCC to vacate the freezing order as a “panicky and belated afterthought.”
The lawmakers said the controversy had exposed contradictions within the Federal Government, particularly over whether a valid court order existed authorising the freezing of the accounts.
They noted that EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren had reportedly stated on national television that the accounts were frozen without a valid court order, while the President later directed the commission to return to court to vacate the order.
The caucus questioned whether the President was aware of the actions and public statements of his appointees.
“Is the President not aware of what his own appointees are saying and doing?” the lawmakers asked, while also alleging that senior presidential aides had initially circulated and defended the EFCC’s position before the President intervened.
The lawmakers said the President’s intervention appeared to have followed widespread public criticism of the EFCC’s action.
The caucus further linked the controversy to what it described as a broader pattern of pressure on the Osun State Government ahead of the governorship election.
It cited the alleged withholding of statutory allocations to Osun local governments, alleged violence involving APC members and suspected thugs, the arrest and detention of the state Secretary to the Government, Teslim Igbalaiye, and the conduct of the state Commissioner of Police.
The lawmakers also criticised allegations by the police that the Osun State Government was harbouring hoodlums at the Government House.
“This is not policing. It is partisan propaganda in uniform,” the caucus said.
The minority caucus accused the APC-led Federal Government of using federal institutions to pressure opposition-controlled states, describing the situation in Osun as a possible “dress rehearsal” for the 2027 general elections.
“The mask is off. Nigerians can now see clearly that the APC has weaponised federal institutions against opposition states,” the caucus said.
