Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has ordered the withdrawal of the legal action instituted against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the freezing of a state government account.
Adeleke disclosed this on Sunday while speaking in an interview with Channels Television, shortly after securing victory in the Osun State governorship election.
The governor said his decision followed an intervention by President Bola Tinubu, who he said personally contacted him over the matter.
Adeleke explained that the President’s intervention had changed the situation and made him reconsider continuing with the case.
According to him, he had already instructed the Osun State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to discontinue the suit.
“What else do I want? I’ve instructed my Attorney General to drop it. Mr President has done well; he called me. What more do I want?” Adeleke said.
The dispute between the Osun State Government and the EFCC started after the anti-graft agency placed a Post No Debit restriction on one of the state government’s accounts.
The EFCC said the action was connected to an ongoing investigation into the handling of about N11 billion belonging to the state.
The commission said the funds under investigation included Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and allocations received through the Federation Account Allocation Committee.
The agency also alleged that there had been unusual movements of money from the account into several corporate accounts.
The EFCC described the transfers as “precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds” and said the restriction was imposed to prevent further movement of the money while its investigation continued.
Adeleke had strongly rejected the action.
The governor had directed the state Attorney-General to challenge the EFCC’s decision in court. He described the restriction as unlawful and suggested that the move was politically motivated.
He also spoke about persons linked to his administration who had been invited by the EFCC in connection with the investigation.
Adeleke said his lawyers were already communicating with the commission over the issue. He also questioned why his spokesperson was invited by the anti-graft agency.
“Well, we are… we’ve been talking, I’ve been calling all my lawyers to go there,” he said.
The governor added that he had told those invited to honour the EFCC’s invitations because they had nothing to hide.
“Can you imagine my spokesperson? You are inviting my spokesperson to EFCC. Is my spokesperson a finance minister or accountant? So I told him, ‘Go,’” he said.
Earlier this year, Adeleke had also called on President Tinubu to intervene in the dispute over local government allocations in Osun.
The governor had complained that funds meant for the state’s local governments were being withheld amid a prolonged dispute over the leadership of the councils.
He argued that the situation was affecting the payment of workers and the running of local government services.
The local government dispute followed a series of court cases involving elected council officials and the Osun State Government.
Adeleke Rules Out Return To APC
The governor also addressed speculation about his political future and whether his growing relationship with Tinubu could lead to his return to the All Progressives Congress.
Adeleke dismissed the possibility, at least for now.
Asked whether he was considering returning to the APC, the governor said, “As I’m talking to you right now, I’m not even thinking about that.”
He, however, made it clear that remaining outside the APC would not stop him from supporting Tinubu.
“So, but that doesn’t mean that I cannot say support… Mr President,” he said.
Adeleke explained that his relationship with the President should not be interpreted as a decision to change political parties.
The governor has had a long political journey across different platforms.
He previously contested under the APC before moving to the Peoples Democratic Party. He later left the PDP and joined the Accord Party ahead of the 2026 Osun governorship election.
Adeleke Raises Concerns Over Use Of Tinubu’s Name
The Osun governor also alleged that some people had been using Tinubu’s name while discussing the EFCC matter without the President’s knowledge.
The governor said he had no reason to continue the court case after Tinubu personally contacted him.
The EFCC investigation itself, however, remains a separate matter.
The withdrawal of the suit does not amount to a declaration that the allegations under investigation have been resolved.
The commission had said its investigation into the handling of the funds was already ongoing before the account restriction was imposed.
The EFCC had explained that its investigation began in March 2026 and involved allegations concerning the management of about N11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and FAAC-related funds.
The commission said the account restriction became necessary after it noticed large transfers to different corporate entities.
Adeleke has rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing by his administration and previously challenged the basis for the restriction.
