The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has frozen a major Osun State Government bank account, placing it on “Post No Debit” (PND) status just 10 days before the state’s scheduled August 15 governorship election. Abdul-Jeleel Samakin, Senior Special Assistant on Media Monitoring to Governor Ademola Adeleke, confirmed the restriction to PREMIUM TIMES, noting that the First Bank account is among those routinely used by the state for official transactions, including civil service salary disbursements.
The development followed warnings issued earlier Wednesday by the Osun State Government. In a statement released by Commissioner for Information Kolapo Alimi, Governor Adeleke accused the anti-graft agency of plotting to paralyze state operations ahead of the polls, asserting that the EFCC lacks the constitutional authority to freeze a sovereign state account.
“The plan, if true, amounts to the height of lawlessness,” the state government declared, warning that restricting public funds would cripple governance and service delivery. As of reporting time, the EFCC has not issued an official public statement outlining the legal grounds or specific investigation behind the account restriction. The financial freeze marks the latest escalation in a series of security and political disputes surrounding the upcoming election:
- SSG Residence Raid: Police recently raided the home of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaye, arresting him and five others over allegations related to vote-buying and harboring a wanted suspect. Igbalaye was subsequently released pending further investigation.
- Police Leadership Redeployment: Following public protests and petitions from the state government accusing former Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Gotan of political bias, police authorities redeployed him and installed new leadership to manage election security.
Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/
