Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has directed the state’s Attorney-General to withdraw a lawsuit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the freezing of the state government’s bank accounts.
The development comes hours after Adeleke was declared winner of the August 15 governorship election. The Osun government had filed suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1762/2026 at the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 5, seeking to nullify the EFCC’s directive freezing the state’s statutory allocation account and claiming N2 billion in exemplary damages. The anti-graft agency said the freeze was part of an investigation into alleged fraudulent handling of funds by the state government.
President Tinubu subsequently ordered the EFCC to vacate the freeze order, stating he was embarrassed by the action because federal institutions’ actions were often attributed to the presidency without his prior knowledge.
Speaking after the election, Adeleke said he decided to withdraw the case due to Tinubu’s intervention. “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.
Regarding reports that some aides and officials were invited for questioning by the EFCC, Adeleke said he had instructed his lawyers to assist them. He alleged the invitations were politically motivated but noted some officials who honored the invitations were released after questioning.
Adeleke said he did not believe Tinubu was aware of some actions attributed to federal agencies. “Most of these things, the president doesn’t know. The president has a lot of foreign work and jobs to do,” he said.
The governor also alleged that former Osun governor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, was behind the EFCC action due to his relationship with Tinubu. “All these things is Oyetola because he is the cousin to the president. He is dropping the president’s name,” Adeleke said. “I know that the president didn’t know about the EFCC one. That is why he had to call me and stop it.”
The withdrawal marks a de-escalation in the tension between the state government and the federal anti-graft agency, with the president’s direct intervention resolving the impasse over the frozen statutory allocation. The development underscores the political dynamics influencing federal agency operations and the role of presidential oversight in intergovernmental disputes.
