Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, life may be in danger as he raised alarm over an unnamed chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) allegedly warned him against contesting the 2027 presidential election against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Makinde made the revelation in the July 2026 edition of his monthly newsletter, obtained by Tribune Online in Ibadan on Thursday, claiming the warning came shortly after President Tinubu was endorsed as the APC’s sole presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
According to the governor, the APC chieftain allegedly delivered the warning on June 1, 2025, cautioning him not to challenge Tinubu’s re-election bid. Makinde said just one day later, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sent a letter requesting copies of all Oyo State Government contracts and payments made to contractors from 2021 onward.
He noted that the anti-graft agency’s request did not identify any contractor, company, transaction, project or alleged financial offence under investigation.
Makinde said his administration did not oppose the EFCC’s constitutional powers to investigate financial crimes but requested that the commission specify the contractors, transactions or allegations being investigated so the relevant documents could be provided.
According to him, the EFCC failed to respond to the request, prompting the Oyo State Government to approach the Federal High Court in Ibadan for judicial interpretation on whether such a broad demand complied with constitutional provisions and the rule of law.
In its judgment in Suit No. FHC/IB/CS/61/2025, the Federal High Court acknowledged the EFCC’s statutory authority to investigate financial crimes but ruled that such powers must be exercised strictly within the provisions of the Constitution and in accordance with due process.
Governor Makinde’s Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, said the court described the EFCC’s request, particularly its June 2, 2025 letter seeking sweeping financial records, as speculative and amounting to a fishing expedition.
Olarenwaju added that the court held that investigative requests must be linked to a specific allegation and that the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs to fair hearing could not be violated under the guise of an investigation.
Reflecting on the sequence of events, Makinde said he would not speculate on the timing of the EFCC’s request but urged Nigerians to consider the chronology and draw their own conclusions.
The governor maintained that his administration has consistently embraced transparency, accountability and lawful scrutiny, insisting that no government is above investigation.
He, however, stressed that accountability must be evidence-based, warning that broad and unspecified investigations conducted in the hope of uncovering wrongdoing undermine constitutional safeguards and due process.
Makinde described the court’s verdict as a victory for the rule of law rather than a judgment against the EFCC, saying it reaffirmed the principle that every institution, regardless of its powers, must operate within constitutional and legal boundaries.
He added that the judgment highlights the importance of leadership anchored on due process, constitutionalism and respect for the rule of law while insisting that investigations must always be based on clear evidence and specific allegations.
