Adeleke alleges EFCC plans to freeze Osun accounts before governorship election
Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of planning to freeze the bank accounts of the state government ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
Kolapo Alimi, the state commissioner for information and public enlightenment, made the claim in a statement issued on Wednesday. He said the governor raised the allegation on Tuesday during a meeting at the government house in Osogbo.
Alimi further alleged that the anti-graft agency intends to widen the action by freezing the accounts of senior officials in the state government.
According to the statement, the governor said such a move, if true, would amount to “the height of lawlessness”, noting that “the plot to freeze the state government accounts is meant to paralyse government activities ahead of the governorship election”.
“The governor affirmed that there is no legal basis or justification for any move to freeze the state government accounts, declaring that the anti-graft agency has no legal powers to freeze the account of a state government,” the statement added.
When contacted for a response, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC spokesperson, said he would get back on the matter. However, he had not responded as of the time this report was filed.
Background
Adeleke is seeking another term in office under the Accord Party, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) is attempting to return to power after spending four years in opposition.
Political tension has intensified across Osun in recent weeks, with supporters of both parties involved in violent confrontations as the election draws closer.
At a campaign rally in Olorunda LGA on Monday, Adeleke appealed to President Bola Tinubu to step in over the unrest, cautioning against a repeat of the 1983 political crisis in the south-west.
The governor said the Accord Party’s endorsement of Tinubu’s second-term ambition in Osun should encourage the president to support efforts to restore peace in the state.
He added that presidential intervention is necessary to prevent further “loss of innocent lives”, stressing that “all we are asking for is simply a free and fair election”.
