Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke on Wednesday challenged Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Chairman Ola Olukoyede to explain the freezing of the state government account.
Adeleke spoke to journalists at the Osun State Government House in Osogbo. He said the state received a letter that morning from its banker. The letter forwarded an EFCC instruction to freeze the Osun State Government Account. He stated that the action occurred without any court order.
Adeleke first recalled recent difficulties faced by the state. He mentioned paralysis of the local government system, gun attacks, police raids and arrests of Accord members without warrants. He added that several Accord members had been killed and about 60 others taken to Abuja and detained without charges.
He said these steps followed orders from Gboyega Oyetola over an election his candidate could not win.
Then the account restriction arrived. Adeleke declared that the country was supposed to operate under democracy where the rule of law prevailed. He refused to accept federal agencies trampling on the constitutional rights of subnational governments.
Adeleke directly addressed the EFCC chairman. “All I ask is for the EFCC chairman 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,” he said.
He described the restriction and other actions as turning democracy into a huge joke. Adeleke instructed the state Attorney General to challenge the step at the Federal High Court in Osogbo.
Meanwhile, reports confirmed that the EFCC had directed First Bank to place a post-no-debit restriction on the Osun State Government Statutory Allocation Account. The letter cited sections of the EFCC Establishment Act and the Money Laundering Act as its basis.
Adeleke earlier warned that any such freeze would paralyse government activities ahead of the August 15 governorship election. He maintained that the agency lacked legal powers to freeze a state government account.
