The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA), Prince Ebitimi Amgbare, has dismissed allegations that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government is using state institutions to intimidate opposition parties ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election in Osun State.
Amgbare said President Bola Tinubu’s decision to direct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to return to court and vacate the order freezing the Osun State Government’s accounts was evidence of the President’s commitment to ensuring a peaceful and credible election.
Rather than being an attempt to weaken the opposition, he argued, the President’s intervention was aimed at removing any action capable of creating tension or undermining confidence in the electoral process.
“President Tinubu is interested in ensuring a hitch-free and credible election in Osun State. His directive to the EFCC to return to court and vacate the order freezing the state government’s accounts demonstrates that commitment,” Amgbare said.
He added that the President had no reason to deliberately undermine an opposition-controlled state when his responsibility was to ensure that the electoral process was conducted peacefully and transparently.
“Whatever political differences may exist, the Federal Government has a responsibility to protect the integrity of the electoral process. The President’s intervention should therefore be seen in that context,” he said.
On the circumstances that led to the freezing of the accounts in the first place, Amgbare questioned the political interpretation being attached to the EFCC’s action.
He said the anti-graft agency has a statutory responsibility to investigate suspected financial crimes and should not be accused of political interference simply because an investigation takes place close to an election.
“The EFCC does not have a political season for carrying out its statutory responsibilities. If there is a genuine financial investigation, the agency has a duty to act in accordance with the law,” Amgbare said.
However, he said the timing of such actions could understandably generate suspicion, particularly when they affect a state government controlled by an opposition party immediately before an election.
“Where an action by a government agency coincides with a politically sensitive period, people will naturally ask questions. That is why transparency and strict adherence to due process are important,” he added.:
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