Osun: Gov Adeleke Alleges Plan By EFCC To Embargo State Accounts

By Ayodele Oni

Osun State Government has raised the alarm over alleged plan by the Economic Financial and Crimes Commission,( EFCC) to cripple the administration by freezing Government Bank accounts.

The Governor, in a statement issued on Wednesday in Osogbo, noted that the anti-graft agency was also planning to freeze the accounts of top government functionaries, in an attempt to cripple governance and disrupt the administration’s activities barely days before the poll.

The statement was signed by the State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, on behalf of the state government.

According to the statement, the governor expressed deep concerns over the alleged development, describing it as a grave threat to the functioning of the state government if carried out.

The statement reads: “Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has raised an alarm over credible reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has concluded plans to freeze all Osun State government accounts.

“The governor further alleged that the commission was extending the purported plan beyond government accounts to include those of senior officials serving in his administration.

“The governor said the EFCC is also reportedly planning to freeze accounts of all top government functionaries,” the statement added.

Adeleke argued that the alleged action would have far-reaching consequences for governance, maintaining that freezing the accounts of the state government would effectively halt public administration, delay the execution of government programmes and affect the delivery of essential services to resident.

He contended that the alleged move was politically motivated and timed to coincide with the countdown to the August 15 governorship election in the state.

“The governor who said such a plan, if true, amounts to the height of lawlessness, said the plot to freeze the state government accounts is meant to paralyze government activities ahead of the August 15 governorship election,” the statement read.

The governor also questioned the legal basis for any attempt to restrict the state’s access to its financial resources, insisting that the EFCC lacks the constitutional and statutory authority to freeze the accounts of a state government.

“The governor affirmed that there is no legal basis or justification for any push to freeze the state government accounts, declaring that the anti-graft agency has no legal powers to freeze the account of a state government.”