EFCC Freezing Of Osun Govt Accounts: Power Abuse Taken Too Far– TICC
The Imole Campaign Council (TICC) has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of going outside its mandate by interfering in the upcoming governorship election in Osun State, describing the freezing of Osun State Government account a few days to the election as a brazen abuse of authority and attack on the people.
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 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 payment of salary and allowances, pensions, fixing infrastructure, addressing security challenges and carrying out other duties which the Nigerian constitution has entrusted unto the state.
The EFCC has in other words executed a coup against the democratic expression of over 5 million citizens of a supposedly democratic country. In plain sight, what the EFCC has done is to recklessly weaponized its authority to exert economic pressure on Osun people in the bid to coerce them into schemed 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 to political witch-hunting disguised as corruption fight. The EFCC approach, timing and the follow-up posture all have politics written over it, and we want to call on the anti-graft body to immediately stop further attempts to interfere with the will of Osun people.
We maintain that Osun people have every rights to democratic choices via the poll and as such, will not accept the subtle attempt by the EFCC to subdue their wills 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 deserved.
Signed:
Bamidele Salam,
Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee
The Imole Campaign Council
