ADELEKE ORDERS WITHDRAWAL OF SUIT AGAINST EFCC AFTER TINUBU’S INTERVENTION

Re-elected Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has directed the state’s Attorney General to withdraw the legal action filed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the freezing of the state government’s bank account.

Adeleke made the disclosure during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, shortly after he was declared winner of the August 15 governorship election.

The governor said he had chosen to put the disagreement with the EFCC behind him following President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the matter.

According to him, the President’s decision to intervene had addressed the immediate concerns surrounding the dispute.

“I’m putting them behind. What else do I want? I have instructed my Attorney General to drop it. Mr President has done well. He called me. What more do I want?” Adeleke said.

The EFCC had earlier obtained an order restricting access to an Osun State Government account as part of an investigation into the management of about ₦11 billion in Ecology Funds, intervention funds and FAAC allocations.

The commission said the restriction followed the discovery of suspicious transactions and was intended to prevent further movement of the funds while investigations continued.

Adeleke had rejected the action, describing it as politically motivated and harmful to the operations of his administration. He subsequently approached the court to challenge the EFCC’s move.

President Tinubu later directed the anti-graft agency to return to court to have the freezing order vacated and discontinue the related proceedings, amid concerns that the timing of the action could be perceived as an attempt by a federal agency to influence the governorship election.

On reports that some members of his administration and political associates were being invited by the EFCC for questioning, Adeleke said he had instructed his lawyers to assist those affected.

“Well, we have been talking. I have been calling all my lawyers to go there. I’m sure the APC in Osun, according to them, they are telling us they are using federal might,” he said.

ADELEKE SAYS TINUBU MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN

The governor also maintained that President Tinubu might not have been aware of some of the actions allegedly taken by federal agencies against his administration.

“Most of these things, the President doesn’t know. The President has a lot of foreign work and jobs to do,” Adeleke said.

He explained that some of his aides had been invited by the EFCC but were released after responding to questions from investigators.

Adeleke said he encouraged his officials to cooperate with the investigation because, according to him, they had nothing to hide.

He specifically questioned the decision to invite his spokesperson for questioning, arguing that the official was not responsible for managing the state’s finances.

The governor further alleged that former Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, may have played a role in the development because of his relationship with the President.

“All these things is Oyetola because he is the cousin to the President. He is dropping the President’s name. I know that the President didn’t know about the EFCC one. That is why he had to call me and stop it,” Adeleke said.

ADELEKE SECURES SECOND TERM

Adeleke, who was first elected governor of Osun State in 2022, has now secured another four-year term after defeating his major challenger, the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.

The governor polled 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji recorded 444,815 votes. The ADC candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.

Adeleke won in 19 of the state’s 30 Local Government Areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in 11.

Following his victory, Adeleke described the outcome as a victory for democracy and promised to pursue policies aimed at transforming Osun into an industrial hub.

He also appealed to residents and political opponents to unite behind the state, declaring that there was “no victor, no vanquished.”

His re-election triggered celebrations across several parts of Osun, particularly in Osogbo and his hometown, Ede, while his nephew and Afrobeats star, Davido, also celebrated the victory on social media.