Osun 2026: The Politics of Freezing State Government Accounts
Ten days before the Osun governorship election, political tension rose on Wednesday after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) froze the State Government’s accounts for reasons linked...
Ten days before the Osun governorship election, political tension rose on Wednesday after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) froze the State Government’s accounts for reasons linked to political considerations.
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, at a press conference in Osogbo, condemned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for freezing the state’s main bank account ahead of the August 15 governorship election. He called the action unconstitutional and politically motivated, demanding the EFCC Chairman explain the move and directing the state’s legal team to challenge it in court.
“This morning, we received a letter from our banker, forwarding a letter from the EFCC, instructing the bank to freeze Osun State Government account. This action was taken without any court order.
“We are supposed to be in a democracy where the rule of law must always prevail. We will therefore not accept any situation where federal agencies trample on the constitutional rights of sub-national governments. This is a threat to democracy. If we all keep quiet and allow this illegality, very soon, whatever is left of our democracy will be fully eroded.
“All I ask is for the EFCC chair to explain to the good people of Osun State and to Nigerians in general why he froze Osun State Government account and show proof to support whatever reason he presents. This and all other illegalities being visited on Osun are turning our democracy into a huge joke,” the governor stated.
“We have not rested because they have been inviting everybody. Everybody in account, they have invited the accountant, invited everybody, even all the ministries. They have invited them for questioning.
“And after the questioning, they are back. Nothing found. They never found Osun State wanting. Because when you look at the history of prudence and transparency, we came first. We are very transparent,” he said.
The Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Osun State, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, said the EFCC did not have unilateral powers to freeze or restrict the state government’s statutory account.
Why EFCC Froze Osun State’s Government Account
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is compelled to publicly address issues pertaining to its preventive moves in freezing the bank account of the Osun State government, without prejudice to the imminent governorship election in the state.
The Commission has been busy investigating the Osun state government since March, 2026, regarding alleged fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee, FAAC account to the tune of N11, 000,000, 000(Eleven Billion Naira only). To this end, some officials of the state government, especially the Accountant General of the State, have had interview sessions with investigators of the EFCC.
These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of a post no debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026. The Commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds were being moved.
The EFCC’s preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets, and resources. The Commission cannot watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged. While the Commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the state’s funds. It will be uncharitable for the Commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms and not perform its legally assigned functions.
It is equally needful to state that the Commission is keeping watch over the finances of other states like Osun State. Many of these states are on the investigative radar of the Commission to ensure accountability and probity. The Commission has always pointed out that it is non-partisan and non-sectarian but always working in the overall interests of Nigerians. The Osun State government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.
The public is enjoined to ignore false narratives and deliberate demonisation of the works of the EFCC. The interests of all Nigerians are greater and will always be protected by the Commission. The statement is on the EFCC X handle.
₦20,000 “Palliative” Is Election Bait, Not Workers’ Welfare — Osun Workers • Claim half-salary, pension, gratuity remain largely unpaid
Workers, under the aegis of Osun Workers Union (OWU), have expressed grave concern over what it described as the irresponsible depletion of the state’s resources through the payment of a ₦20,000 “palliative” to workers, while selected senior officers reportedly received between ₦100,000 and ₦200,000 under the same arrangement.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Organising Secretary of the Union, Comrade Gabriel Adeoye, the Union said the payment was nothing more than a desperate attempt by Governor Ademola Adeleke to placate workers who have become increasingly frustrated by the government’s failure to fulfil its electoral promises to civil servants and pensioners.
According to the Union, Governor Adeleke promised during the last electioneering campaign to clear the half-salary arrears inherited from the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola within six months of assuming office. However, with barely a week to another governorship election, the government has not paid up to half of the outstanding arrears yet continues to embark on what the Union described as noisy propaganda about its commitment to workers’ welfare.
OWU further alleged that Osun workers remain angry because the government deducted contributory pension and cooperative savings from their salaries without remitting the funds to the appropriate Pension Fund Administrators and cooperative societies.
The Union also noted that the state’s 2025 Audited Financial Statements reportedly show that although the government budgeted ₦14.5 billion for gratuity payments in 2025 and another ₦6 billion for the settlement of gratuity arrears, no payments were made under either provision. It stated that this information can be verified on page 42 of the published audited accounts for 2025.
According to the Union, these developments have had severe consequences on the health, welfare and general well-being of workers and pensioners across the state.
“It is unfortunate that while workers continue to struggle under harsh economic conditions, the governor and a privileged few, including some labour leaders, continue to live in luxury at the expense of public resources. The governor and a few associates spent a whopping N11 billion on travels in 2025,” the statement said.
OWU further alleged that in 2025 the Osun State Government received four refunds and special allocations from the Federal Government amounting to about ₦76 billion, including:
Distribution on Infrastructure – ₦37 billion; Distribution of ₦74 billion to states (First and Second Tranches) – ₦4 billion; NLNG – Dividend Refund to States (First Instalment) – ₦25.2 billion and Price Balance of Project Gazette to States – ₦10 billion.
The Union questioned why, despite these inflows, the government allegedly failed to clear the half-salary arrears, gratuities, and pension obligations.
OWU also claimed that allegations regarding the management of state finances have become subjects of investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The Union further asserted that Governor Adeleke, in a recent public address, confirmed that some officials of the state government, including the Accountant-General, had been invited by the EFCC over issues relating to the management of state resources.
The Union described the ongoing payments to workers, pensioners and residents as an election-season strategy intended to win public sympathy ahead of the governorship election.
While encouraging workers, pensioners, and residents to make use of whatever money they have received because it belongs to the people, the Union urged them to remain vigilant.
“If you have received the ₦20,000, spend it on your family’s needs. Buy pepper soup, enjoy shawarma, drink Maltina or meet any pressing household expenses, because it is your money.
“However, do not allow this token to distract you from the realities of the last four years. This last-minute generosity should not erase years of unfulfilled promises, unpaid entitlements, and economic hardship.
“If the experience of the first term has been this disappointing, Osun people should carefully reflect on what a second term could mean for workers, pensioners and the future of the state.”
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