Osun Governor says President Tinubu’s intervention has resolved the account-freezing dispute after his re-election
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has directed the state Attorney-General to withdraw the legal action against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the freezing of a state government account, saying President Bola Tinubu’s intervention has settled the matter.
Also read: Adeleke makes bold promise after Osun re-election
Adeleke disclosed the decision in an interview with Channels Television on Sunday, August 16, 2026, shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared him the winner of the Osun governorship election.
The governor said Tinubu had personally contacted him over the dispute and that he no longer saw a reason to continue with the case.
“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 decision marks a notable change from Adeleke’s earlier response to the EFCC action.
The commission had placed a Post No Debit restriction on an Osun government account shortly before the governorship election, prompting the state government to approach the court.
The EFCC said its action was connected to an investigation into the alleged handling of about N11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee revenues.
According to the commission, the investigation had been ongoing since March 2026 and involved questioning state officials, including the Accountant-General.
The EFCC said it moved to restrict the account after detecting what it described as “precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds” to various corporate entities from August 2.
The account restriction came about 10 days before the August 15 governorship election, adding a politically sensitive dimension to an already contentious financial investigation.
Adeleke had rejected the EFCC’s action and instructed the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to challenge it, describing the restriction as unlawful and politically motivated.
President Tinubu subsequently told Adeleke during a phone conversation that he had directed the EFCC to lift the restriction, according to reports published earlier in August.
The governor’s latest comments indicate that he now intends to bring the legal dispute to an end following that intervention.
Adeleke also addressed reports that some of his supporters remained in EFCC custody, saying his lawyers were engaging with the commission.
“Well, we are… we’ve been talking, I’ve been calling all my lawyers to go there,” he said.
He questioned why some of his aides had been invited by the anti-graft agency, particularly his spokesperson.
“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,’” Adeleke said.
He added that his aides complied with the invitations because, in his view, they had nothing to hide.
The governor also sought to separate his support for Tinubu’s 2027 presidential ambition from his own political affiliation.
Asked whether he was considering a return to the All Progressives Congress, Adeleke said: “As I’m talking to you right now, I’m not even thinking about that.”
He nevertheless maintained that remaining outside the APC would not prevent him from supporting the President.
Adeleke has moved between political platforms during his political career.
He previously contested under the APC before joining the Peoples Democratic Party, through which he won the Osun governorship election in 2022. He contested the 2026 election under the Accord Party.
His relationship with Tinubu has nevertheless become increasingly significant, particularly after Adeleke publicly endorsed the President’s bid for a second term in 2027.
Channels Television reported that Adeleke said his support was not based on a formal political agreement but on his assessment of Tinubu and the President’s regional connection.
The governor also alleged that some people had been using Tinubu’s name in connection with the EFCC dispute without the President’s knowledge.
The latest development comes immediately after Adeleke secured another four-year mandate in Osun. INEC declared him the winner after he polled 511,067 votes against 444,815 recorded by APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji.
The outcome gives Adeleke a fresh political platform from which to pursue his second-term agenda, while his decision to drop the EFCC suit removes one of the most contentious disputes between his administration and a federal anti-corruption agency.
The financial investigation itself, however, remains a separate matter.
Adeleke’s withdrawal of the suit does not by itself determine the allegations being examined by the EFCC, leaving the commission’s investigative process distinct from the governor’s decision to end the court challenge.
Also read: BREAKING: INEC declares Accord’s Adeleke winner of Osun governorship election
For now, the President’s intervention has created a potentially significant opening for a less confrontational relationship between the Osun government and the Federal Government as Adeleke begins his second term.
Ibrahim Onipede is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
