Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, 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 the warning was followed by a request from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for documents relating to the state’s finances.
According to The Guardian, Makinde made the allegation in the July 2026 edition of his monthly newsletter obtained in Ibadan.
The governor said the APC chieftain warned him on June 1, 2025, shortly after President Tinubu was endorsed as the APC’s sole presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Makinde further disclosed that the following day, the EFCC requested copies of all contracts awarded by the Oyo State Government and payments made to contractors from 2021 without identifying any contractor, company, transaction or alleged offence under investigation.
He explained that while his administration did not object to the anti-graft agency’s constitutional powers to investigate financial crimes, it sought clarification on the specific contractors, transactions or allegations under investigation to enable the government provide the requested documents.
According to the governor, the EFCC did not respond to the request for clarification, prompting the state government to institute a suit seeking judicial interpretation on whether such a broad request was lawful.
Makinde maintained that the sequence of events, beginning with the alleged warning from the APC chieftain and the subsequent EFCC request, should be carefully considered by Nigerians, although he declined to draw any conclusions.
The governor stressed that no government should be shielded from legitimate investigation but insisted that such investigations must be based on specific allegations and conducted within the provisions of the law.
He argued that accountability should be evidence-based and cautioned against broad investigations undertaken without clearly defined allegations.
Makinde also referred to the judgment of the Federal High Court in Ibadan in Suit No. FHC/IB/CS/61/2025, instituted by the Oyo State Government, noting that the court affirmed the EFCC’s constitutional mandate to investigate financial crimes but ruled that such powers must be exercised in line with the Constitution and the rule of law.
He said the court described the EFCC’s request as speculative and a fishing expedition, holding that requests for information must be tied to a specific allegation.
The governor described the judgment as a victory for the rule of law rather than a verdict against the EFCC, saying it reaffirmed the principle that every institution must operate within constitutional and legal limits.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, 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.
Olanrewaju added that the court held that the constitutional right of the plaintiffs to fair hearing could not be violated under the guise of investigation, reiterating that the EFCC’s investigative powers must be exercised strictly in accordance with the Constitution and the rule of law.