Osun Salary Account Frozen by EFCC Days Before Governorship Election
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has frozen an Osun State Government bank account domiciled with First Bank, an action that has heightened political tensions just ten days before the state’s August 15 governorship election.
The affected account was placed on “Post No Debit” (PND) status by the anti-graft agency on Wednesday, a restriction that prevents any withdrawals or debit transactions from being processed. Abdul-Jeleel Samakin, Senior Special Assistant on Media Monitoring to Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, confirmed the development, stating that the affected account is among those the state government uses for official financial transactions, including the payment of workers’ salaries. He said the freeze was no longer a matter of speculation but a confirmed fact.
The move came just hours after Governor Adeleke had publicly alleged that the EFCC was planning to freeze the accounts of the Osun State Government, as well as those belonging to senior officials within his administration, ahead of the election. In a statement issued earlier on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the governor described the anticipated move as an attempt to paralyse government activities in the lead-up to the poll. He argued that the anti-graft agency lacks the legal authority to freeze the account of a state government, insisting there was no statutory basis for such an action. The statement described the alleged plan, if confirmed, as amounting to “the height of lawlessness,” warning that any restriction on the state’s finances so close to the election would undermine governance and disrupt public service delivery.
As of the time of reporting, the EFCC had not issued any official statement confirming the freeze, explaining the reasoning behind the action, or responding to the state government’s allegations of lawlessness. The precise grounds for placing the account on PND status remain undisclosed, leaving the full implications of the commission’s action, including whether it stems from an ongoing investigation, unclear.
The development lands at a particularly sensitive moment in Osun State’s political calendar, with Governor Adeleke seeking re-election against a field of challengers in the August 15 poll. The freezing of an account reportedly tied to workers’ salary payments raises immediate practical concerns about the state government’s ability to meet its financial obligations to civil servants in the days remaining before the election, though the broader financial impact on state operations has not yet been fully assessed.
Governor Adeleke was expected to address the press shortly to provide further details and updates on the situation, according to a source close to the state government. This remains a developing story, and further details are expected as both the state government and the EFCC respond publicly to the unfolding controversy.
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