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Barely ten days to the Osun State Gubernatorial Election, officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have frozen an Osun State Government account.
Documents obtained by newsmen in Osogbo revealed that the directive has placed the Osun State Account on what it termed “Post No Debit”
The affected account was reportedly being used for the payment of workers’ salaries.
It was gathered that the document originated from the anti-graft agency.
The development came less than 24 hours after Governor Ademola Adeleke raised the alarm that the EFCC was planning to freeze the state’s accounts and those of top government functionaries.
A statement, however, issued on Wednesday through the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, said the order was meant to cripple the current administration ahead of the poll.
Adeleke had argued that there was no legal basis for freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government, insisting that the EFCC lacked the statutory authority to take such action.
A source close to the governor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, confirmed that the account had indeed been frozen.
“I can confirm that the state government account has been frozen by the EFCC. It is no longer an allegation. The governor will address the press shortly to update the public on the situation,” the source said.
As of the time of filing this report, the EFCC had not issued any official statement on the action, while the reason for placing the account on “Post No Debit” status remained unclear.
The latest development is expected to heighten political tension in Osun State as preparations intensify for the August 15 governorship election.
