Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has alleged that a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) warned him against contesting the 2027 presidential election against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, claiming the warning came shortly before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) requested extensive financial records from his administration.

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Makinde made the allegation in his July 2026 monthly newsletter while reacting to Wednesday’s judgment of the Federal High Court in Ibadan, which restrained the EFCC from proceeding with aspects of its planned investigation into the finances of the Oyo State Government. According to the governor, the warning was issued on June 1, 2025, shortly after the APC endorsed Tinubu as its sole presidential candidate for the 2027 election. He further alleged that a day later, the EFCC requested copies of all contracts awarded and payments made by the Oyo State Government from 2021, without identifying any contractor, company, transaction or specific allegation of wrongdoing.

“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,” Makinde stated.

The governor’s comments followed the judgment in Suit No. FHC/IB/CS/61/2025, in which the Federal High Court acknowledged the EFCC’s constitutional powers to investigate financial crimes but ruled that such powers must be exercised within the limits of the Constitution and the rule of law. According to a statement by Makinde’s Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, the court held that the commission’s request was speculative and amounted to a “fishing expedition,” noting that constitutional rights to fair hearing could not be violated under the guise of an investigation.

Makinde insisted that his administration never sought to obstruct the EFCC from carrying out legitimate investigations but only requested that the commission specify the contractors, transactions or allegations under investigation so that the appropriate documents could be provided. He said the commission did not respond, prompting the state government to seek judicial interpretation of whether such a broad request was lawful.

The governor maintained that while no government should be exempt from investigation, anti-corruption probes must be based on identifiable facts rather than broad requests aimed at uncovering possible wrongdoing.

“Accountability must be evidence-based,” Makinde said, describing the court’s decision as “a victory for the rule of law, not against the EFCC.”

According to the governor, the judgment reinforces the principle that all government institutions, including law enforcement agencies, must operate within constitutional and legal boundaries.

Newsworld reports that Makinde’s allegations against the APC chieftain and his comments regarding the timing of the EFCC’s request are claims made by the governor. The EFCC and the APC had not publicly responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.