EFCC freezes Osun State government account

OSOGBO — Ten days before voters in Osun State head to the polls, an alleged financial squeeze on the state government has added a fresh layer of tension to an already heated election campaign.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly placed a First Bank account belonging to the Osun State Government on “Post No Debit”, effectively restricting withdrawals from an account said to be used for the payment of workers’ salaries, according to documents seen by Vanguard.

The reported action came shortly after Governor Ademola Adeleke raised the alarm that the anti-graft agency was preparing to freeze accounts belonging to the state government and senior officials ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

Adeleke, through the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, described the alleged move as an attempt to disrupt the machinery of government and cripple the state’s operations at a politically sensitive moment.

The governor also questioned the legal authority of the EFCC to impose such a restriction on the state’s accounts, insisting that there was no lawful justification for the proposed action.

The allegation subsequently appeared to move from warning to reality.

A source close to the governor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly, told Vanguard that the account had already been restricted.

“I can confirm that the state government account has been frozen by the EFCC. It is no longer an allegation. The governor will address the press shortly to update the public on the situation,” the source said.

The development comes against the backdrop of an increasingly charged political contest in Osun, where Adeleke is seeking another term in office. The state government has repeatedly accused opposition forces of attempting to deploy federal institutions against it ahead of the election.

The EFCC’s alleged intervention also comes after the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign council called on the commission in June to investigate and freeze accounts allegedly connected to payments involving purported ghost workers in the state. The APC claimed that about N13.7 billion was being paid annually to such workers—an allegation that forms part of the wider political dispute over the state’s finances.

For now, however, the specific reason for the reported restriction on the First Bank account remains unclear.

The EFCC had not issued an official statement confirming the account freeze or explaining the basis for the reported “Post No Debit” instruction as of the time of filing.

With the election just days away, the alleged restriction has therefore opened another front in the battle for Osun—one where questions over public funds, the powers of anti-graft authorities and the conduct of the electoral contest are now converging.