By Comrade Kunle Sodipo, FICSSM, MNINM, ANIPR
_Ogun State, Nigeria based Public Affairs Analyst and Security Strategist_
_8 August, 2026_
kdrexafricanchild@gmail.com
The dust from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s intervention on the freezing of one of Osun State Government’s accounts by the EFCC is yet to settle. And rightly so. Because beyond the money, what is at stake is public trust.
The conversation has now drawn in some of our finest legal minds.
Senior Advocate and Human Rights Lawyer, *Femi Falana*, appearing on Channels Television’s _Politics Today_ on Friday, was clear: “the anti-graft agency acted within its legal powers by freezing the Osun State Government’s account.”
According to Falana, the EFCC did not act unlawfully. He noted that even the President acknowledged this in his statement. To quote him:
_“As far as the law is concerned, the EFCC has not acted illegally. As a matter of fact, that came out in the statement of the President, that whereas, ‘I’m not questioning your mandate and the exercise of your powers; however, I’m embarrassed.’”_
Falana is not wrong on the law.
*But Lawfulness Is Not The Same As Legitimacy*
This is where the deeper issue lies, and why I remain firmly in support of President Tinubu’s action.
Yes, the EFCC may have acted within the four corners of the law. But in governance, especially in a democracy as sensitive and as bruised as ours, _perception is also law_.
Two things make this intervention necessary:
*First: The Risk of Misinterpretation*
When a state account is frozen, salaries delay, hospitals slow down, and contractors stop work. Ordinary citizens on the streets of Osogbo do not read EFCC press releases. They feel government. And when that pain comes, the first conclusion is easy: “The Federal Government is fighting Osun.”
Whether true or not, that narrative is dangerous. It turns an anti-graft action into what looks like political warfare. And that is exactly what President Tinubu moved to prevent. That is statesmanship.
*Second: The Question of Selectivity*
This is the part that embarrasses Nigerians the most.
Can the EFCC, in good conscience, tell Nigerians today that there has been no movement of funds to suspicious corporate accounts from _any_ ruling party state government account in Nigeria?
If the answer is no, then why has no ruling party state government account faced this same “legal and lawful” action?
If EFCC had started this process by freezing a ruling party state account first — for infractions or any other lawful reason — I believe both the President and most Nigerians would not have felt “embarrassed.”
But when the first and only visible action targets an opposition state, lawfulness begins to look like selectivity. And selectivity kills credibility.
*The Bigger Picture: “When The Watchmen Become The Weapon”*
In my earlier piece, _”When The Watchmen Become The Weapon: Nigeria’s Anti-Graft Agencies and the Comedy of Selective Justice”_, I warned about this exact comedy.
Institutions created to fight corruption for all Nigerians must not be seen as tools for fighting opponents. The moment that perception sets in, the fight is lost — no matter how many cases are won in court.
The EFCC has a constitutional mandate. No one is asking it to look away from crime. But it also has a national responsibility to be seen as fair, timely, and consistent. Justice must not only be done. It must be seen to be done to APC, PDP, LP, NNPP, and to no-party citizens alike.
*Conclusion: President Tinubu Chose The Republic Over Technicalities*
President Tinubu’s embarrassment was not about the law. It was about the Republic. About 2 million Osun citizens who should not be punished while legal processes play out. About the image of Nigeria before investors, partners, and our own people.
That is leadership. To say: “Yes, you have powers. But consider timing. Consider impact. Consider unity.”
Falana is right legally. President Tinubu is right politically and morally.
For Nigeria to win the war against corruption, we need both. Law _and_ legitimacy. Power _and_ perception.
Anything less, and the watchmen will keep becoming the weapon.
*God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.*
Feedback: kdrexafricanchild@gmail.com
