Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is planning to freeze the accounts of the state government ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
Adeleke raised the alarm through the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, who said the governor disclosed the alleged move on Tuesday at the Government House in Osogbo.
Alimi also alleged that the anti-graft agency intends to extend the planned freeze to the bank accounts of some top government officials.
According to the statement, Adeleke described the alleged move as unlawful, warning that freezing the state’s accounts would cripple government activities ahead of the 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 governor was also quoted as saying: “The plot to freeze the state government accounts is meant to paralyse government activities ahead of the governorship election.”
He described the alleged plan as “the height of lawlessness” and demanded clarity on the legal grounds for any such action.
The EFCC has not publicly reacted to the allegation. When contacted, the commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said he would respond later, but had not done so at the time of filing this report.
The allegation comes as Osun prepares for its governorship election, with Adeleke seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party while the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeks to reclaim the state after four years in opposition.
Political tensions have heightened in the state in recent weeks, with supporters of rival political camps involved in clashes as parties intensify preparations for the election.
At a campaign rally in Olorunda Local Government Area on Monday, Adeleke appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the growing pre-election violence, warning against a repeat of the political crisis that rocked the South-West in 1983.
The governor said Tinubu’s intervention was necessary to prevent further loss of lives and ensure a peaceful electoral process. “All we are asking for is simply a free and fair election.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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