Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has directed the state Attorney-General to withdraw the legal action filed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the freezing of a state government bank account.
Adeleke disclosed the decision in an interview with Channels Television on Sunday, shortly after he was declared winner of the August 15 Osun governorship election. He said President Bola Tinubu had personally intervened in the dispute, making continued litigation unnecessary.
“I’ve instructed my Attorney General to drop it. Mr President has done well; he called me. What more do I want?” Adeleke said.
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Why the Account Was Frozen
The Osun government had instituted a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the EFCC’s restriction on its statutory allocation account.
The suit, filed on August 5, 2026, sought to invalidate the EFCC’s action and demanded ₦2 billion in exemplary damages against the commission.
The EFCC had imposed a Post No Debit restriction on the account while investigating the alleged handling of about ₦11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations.
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According to the commission, the restriction followed what it described as the “precipitate and unwarranted movement” of funds from the state account into various corporate entities.
Adeleke rejected the restriction and had previously described the EFCC action as illegal and politically motivated.
Tinubu Intervenes
The dispute changed course after President Tinubu directed the EFCC to vacate the restriction on the Osun account.
Tinubu subsequently said he was embarrassed that actions taken by federal agencies were often attributed to the presidency even when he had not been aware of them.
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Adeleke said the President’s intervention persuaded him to abandon the case.
The governor also said he believed some actions attributed to federal agencies were undertaken without the President’s prior knowledge.
EFCC Invitations
The governor also addressed reports that some of his aides and officials had been invited by the EFCC for questioning.
Adeleke said he had instructed his lawyers to assist those invited, insisting that officials who had nothing to hide should cooperate with the investigation.
He particularly questioned why his spokesperson had been invited for questioning, asking whether the spokesperson was responsible for managing the state’s finances.
Political Context
The development comes immediately after Adeleke secured re-election as Osun governor on the Accord Party platform.
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The governor polled 511,067 votes, defeating APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes, while ADC candidate Najeem Salaam recorded 17,180 votes. Adeleke won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas.
Adeleke has also publicly reaffirmed his support for Tinubu’s bid for a second presidential term in 2027, despite belonging to the opposition Accord Party.
The withdrawal of the EFCC suit therefore removes an immediate legal confrontation between the Osun government and the anti-graft agency, while questions surrounding the original investigation and the handling of the funds remain separate matters.
