Ten days to the much- anticipated Osun State governorship polls; that is, on August 5, 2026, the nation’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) frightened the Osun State Government dropping the news that it had frozen the government Account on the premise of an ongoing investigation of the government since March, 2026.
The EFCC said it was probing alleged fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee, FAAC account to the tune of N11, 000,000, 000 (Eleven Billion Naira only) . To this end, some officials of the state government, especially the Accountant General, have been guests of the EFCC which revealed it had uncovered what it called “unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.”
The Commission said it had monitored huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities, hence its prompt response in freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved.
This news was received with public outcry with Adeleke raising an alarm to the world accusing the EFCC and the federal government of political persecution deliberately designed against his re-election. He, therefore, called on President Bola Tinubu to wade into the matter in order to be seen as father of the nation rather than an accomplice on the plot against his second term tenure.
Commissioner of Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi said the EFCC action was illegal because there was no looting of N11 billion in the state. He accused the immediate past Governor of the state, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola of being the mastermind of the EFCC action to stop the payment of palliatives which the state government had promised the workers some months ago.
“All material facts point to the fact that the commission is pursuing a hatchet job for the Osun APC by illegally freezing the state account and falsely accusing the government of looting ecological and other state funds. We don’t loot public funds in Osun state; we deliver on public goods and services,” he said.
He added, “There is no fund to loot in Osun state as the little resources we have are expended on the many mega projects, workers welfare and sectoral developments for the benefit of the masses. We reject attempts to tarnish the image of our hardworking governor.”
President Tinubu’s response to the development was swift when he is said to have hosted a phone conversation with Adeleke, informing the governor that he had directed the EFCC to retreat with immediate effect. The President backed the exclusive conversation up with a state house statement wherein he expressed his displeasure at the EFCC action
“I must state that I feel deeply embarrassed not by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate backed by a court order, but by the timing of the agency’s action. This is so because every action taken by an institution of State, especially at the Federal level, is always credited to me, as the President, even when I may not have had any prior knowledge of the action,” he said.
He further said, “Based on the foregoing premise, I am duty-bound to issue a directive on this issue in consonance with the overriding public interest in preserving public confidence and the integrity, credibility, and fairness of our democratic process.”
On July 16, 2022, Osun State electorate cast their votes, after which Adeleke stopped the second term ambition of Oyetola, scoring 403. 371, 000 against Oyetola’s 375, 027 votes.
Other candidates in the contest included Akin Ogunbiyi, Accord, 4515; Awojide Segun, AAC, 2148; Kehinde Atanda, ADP, 10, 104; Awoyemi Lukman, APM, 222; Adebayo Elisha, APP, 601; Adeleke Adedapo, BP, 374; Yusuf Lasun, LP, 2,729; Rasak Saliu, NNDP, 379; Adede Samuel, NRM, 777; Ayowole Adedeji, PRP, 1007; Omigbodun Akinrinola, SDP, 515; Ademola Adeseye, YPP, 1303; Adesuyi Olufemi, ZLP, 364.
TheTabloid.net gathered that Adeleke had not been inaugurated on November 27, 2022 when Oyetola planted what is called a landmine on his way. Less than two months to leave the Government House, Oyetola installed local government executive through the infamous Yes/No elections. Adeleke would spend the rest of his admnistration confronting this challenge through legal means. Despite the fact that this matter caused the government some distractions, Adeleke became more energised, taking giant strides at different sectors, especially urban renewal initiatives in Osogbo, Ede, Ile-Ife, Ilesa, Ila-Orangun, Iwo and other towns which had their landscape transformed with good roads and other infrastructural facilities. This is in addition to monthly payment of salaries and outstanding pensions.
According to the databases of NBS, Statistical, and the World Bank, under Adeleke’s supervision, the state Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) increased from N27.7bn to N54.7bn in 2024 through tax-harmonization, digitalisation, and blocking of leakages without increasing tax.
The Federal Debt Management Office (DMO) website also confirmed that the state had reduced its debt by over 45% and ranked third among 36 states for debt reduction.
This record of achievements may have intimidated the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to attempt all things possible to prevent Adeleke’s from second term. It started with pulling down of promotional bill boards in major towns in the state. It snowballed to engaging political thugs allegedly in conspiracy with the police, in destructions and killings in Ikire, Osogbo, Esa Oke and Ilesa, signaling a dangerous trend towards the elections and posing a threat to the target fortune of the governing party at the poll.
Less than a week to the elections, former Governor of the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola led Secretary to the state Government in his admnistration, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade and others out of alliance with Adeleke. They decamped to the APC at a welcome party where top leaders of the APC led by Oyetola and the party’s candidate, Alhaji Bola Oyebamji warmly received them notwithstanding their past hot, hostile exchanges, including Oyinlola chanting that everything about Tinubu was fake, an act which made his return to Tinubu broom party unimaginable.
But Oyinlola defended his defection on the premise that Adeleke did not accord him the respect he deserved as a leader of the ruling party in the state, especially when Adeleke was joining the Accord Party. He said he learnt about the movement on social media. Oyinlola also accused Adeleke of acting against the policy thrust of founding fathers of the state as regard even distribution of developmental projects.
While this development may look like a depletion of the Accord Party when the party needed more converts to reinforce its strength, Adeleke, however, treated it with a wave of hand, describing Oyinlola as a paperweight politician whom he regularly defeated even in his Okuku ward.
Regardless of the APC’s new catch, it was learnt that the internal crisis within the party is still subsisting but being shielded from its opponents for obvious reasons. A number of members are alleged to have vowed to play a devil and constitute a stumbling block to the hope of the party to dislodge Adeleke from the Osun State Government House.
Linked to this was Senator Francis Fadahunsi’s last Tuesday explosive directive to his supporters to go after Accord members and kill them and their families. The outrage, which trailed Fadahunsi’s words, has impelled him to issue a statement in which he claimed he was a victim of misquotation. However, members of his party are said to be unpersuaded on the understanding of the weight of that statement.
“Fadahunsi is going to be a factor Ilesa people may turn their back at us on Saturday. A senior politician of his experience in the Senate should not have uttered such a statement. I know Ijesa people. I have lived among them. They will make their own statement on Saturday and our party should not blame them but blame us,” a member told our correspondent.
The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi berated Tinubu over Fadahunsi’s threat. The former Minister of Sports in the President Goodluck Jonathan admnistration argued that Fadahunsi was emboldened by Tinubu’s earlier declaration that “all is fair in politics”, a suggestion or promotion of a Do-or-Die polls in the state today.
“I don’t blame the senator for saying what he said; I blame the president because he got his authorisation from the president. President Tinubu has said all is fair in politics, and that means you can kill, steal, or do whatever it takes to deliver victory,” he said.
In response to calls by public to the Police to effect arrest of Fadahunsi, Commissioner of Police (Elections), Mr Samuel Erale Etaifo, it was learnt, invited the Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District for clarification of his statement.
In a release issued by Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, Mr Abiodun Ojelabi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police on August 12, the CP said the invitation was an act of intimidation, but rather a proactive measures to prevent “the escalation of tensions and ensuring a peaceful, free, fair, and credible governorship election in Osun State.”
No sooner had the police reassured public of their safety than yet another video surfaced on the internet, featuring a community leader in Ikire, hometown of the APC governorship candidate, warning members of the Accord and other parties to stay off polling centres and declaring that all votes in Ikire must be cast for their son, Oyebamiji.
Going by this threat and cloud of apprehension enveloping the state, the election might record an unprecedented low response of electorate but the two top parties were busy making efforts to outsmart each other.
To this end, the APC has accused the Accord of a plot to forge result sheets for what it called self-declaration of pseudo results of the election.
Osun State Director of Media and Information of the party, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, alleged “a leaked information about the plans of the Accord Party leaders in the state to manipulate the election results in favour of their candidate by generating fake election results.”
The Accord also alleged a closed door briefing by a top member of the APC from Kogi State said to have held a meeting in the state capital where he highlighted detailed plans to rig the election, using manipulation, inducement and brute force to prevent electorate to exercise their franchise at towns where the Accord enjoys a comparative advantage.
A chieftain of the ADC, Chief Dele Momodu coroborated this in an interview wherein he said the battle is between Adeleke and Tinubu who, according to him, was determined to oust the governor, using all his muscles.
Reacting to the alleged plot, Chairman of the Accord, Mr Victor Akande warned that the state would resist any plot against the will of the people, saying”Governor Ademola Adeleke is the choice of Osun people and they shall have the ballot to affirm that position on Saturday.”
How Adeleke, who is said to be enjoying support of the masses across the state, will weather this gathering storm remains a subject of conjecture.
Perhaps to clear his name of the alleged plan to win the election for his party by hook and crook, less than 24 hours to the elections, Tinubu called on the INEC and the security agencies to ensure a peaceful and transparent election.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the president charged the electorate to come out to discharge their civic responsibility and eschew any act that could disrupt the peaceful conduct of the election, while assuring the people of their safety before and after the polls.
“As the people of Osun State head to the polling units to elect who will govern them in the next four years, I call on the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure orderly conduct of the election. The election must be transparent, free and fair. I urge INEC to ensure the integrity of the process,” the President said.
“I have charged the Inspector-General of Police and other heads of security outfits taking part in the election to provide maximum security at polling units. No room should be allowed for troublemakers to disrupt the process.
“Electoral officials and voters must be protected so they can perform their civic duties without fear or intimidation.
“Voters should feel confident to go out in their numbers to vote for the candidate of their choice as all measures necessary to ensure a peaceful, free and fair election have been put in place.
“Our elections must be credible, and the outcome of the Osun Governorship election must reflect the will of the people,” President Tinubu declared.
Leave a Reply