The Yoruba axiom, bi a ba fi owo ra ibo, a fi owo gba ijoba – he who buys a mandate with silver will surely recover his investment with gold – is not merely a moral injunction. It is the algebra of Nigerian politics, a grim arithmetic in which democracy is reduced to transaction. As Osun State approaches its off‑season governorship election on Saturday, 15 August, the proverb reads less like ancestral wisdom than prophecy.
Already, blood has been spilt. Rival supporters clash in towns and villages, accusations fly across party lines, and counter‑accusations cloud the air like harmattan dust. The election is still days away, yet the atmosphere is charged with fear rather than hope. In Osun, democracy is being tested not in the ballot box but in the streets, where machetes and inducements compete to shape the will of the people.
Then came the EFCC twist. On 5 August, the Commission directed First Bank Plc to place a “Post No Debit” restriction on Osun State’s statutory allocation account, effectively freezing it. The Commission claimed the action stemmed from an investigation into the alleged diversion of N11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds, and FAAC allocations, alongside the suspicious withdrawal of over N14 billion within 48 hours.
