Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has alleged that an unnamed chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) warned him against contesting the 2027 presidential election against President Bola Tinubu, claiming that the warning was followed by a sweeping request from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for documents relating to the state’s finances.

Makinde made the allegation in the July 2026 edition of his monthly newsletter, obtained by The Guardian in Ibadan.

According to the governor, the APC chieftain cautioned him on June 1, 2025, shortly after Tinubu was endorsed as the APC’s sole presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

He claimed that the following day, the EFCC wrote to the Oyo State Government requesting copies of all contracts awarded by the state and payments made to contractors from 2021, without identifying any contractor, company, transaction or alleged offence under investigation.

Makinde said his administration did not oppose the anti-graft agency’s powers to investigate financial crimes but requested clarification on the specific contractors, transactions or allegations being investigated to enable the government provide the relevant documents.

According to him, the EFCC did not respond, prompting the state government to institute a suit seeking judicial interpretation on whether such a broad request was lawful.

“It will be recalled that an APC chieftain warned me on June 1, 2025, against contesting the 2027 presidential election after President Bola Tinubu was endorsed as the APC’s sole candidate.

“A day after the warning, the EFCC requested copies of all Oyo State Government contracts and payments to contractors from 2021, without identifying any contractor, company, transaction or alleged offence,” the governor stated.

Makinde said he would not speculate on the timing of the EFCC’s request but urged Nigerians to consider the sequence of events and draw their own conclusions.

He maintained that while no government should be shielded from legitimate investigation, such investigations must be based on specific allegations and conducted within the confines of the law.

“Accountability must be evidence-based,” he said, warning against broad investigations undertaken in the hope of uncovering wrongdoing.

The governor also referenced the judgment of the Federal High Court in Ibadan in Suit No. FHC/IB/CS/61/2025, filed by the Oyo State Government, which, he said, affirmed the EFCC’s constitutional mandate to investigate financial crimes but held that such powers must be exercised in accordance with the Constitution and the rule of law.

Makinde noted that the court described the EFCC’s request as “speculative” and a “fishing expedition,” ruling that requests for information must be linked to a specific allegation.

The governor described the judgment as “a victory for the rule of law, not against the EFCC,” saying it reinforces the principle that every institution must operate within constitutional and legal limits.

Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, had said the court found the EFCC’s proposed investigation into the state’s finances, particularly the demands contained in its June 2, 2025 letter, to be speculative and amounting to a fishing expedition.

According to Olanrewaju, the court held that the constitutional right of the plaintiffs to fair hearing could not be violated under the guise of investigation while reiterating that the EFCC’s investigative powers must be exercised strictly in accordance with the Constitution and the rule of law. (The Guardian)

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