Breaking: Tinubu Calls Adeleke Amid Backlash, Reason Emerges
- President Bola Tinubu personally called Osun state Governor Ademola Adeleke on Thursday, August 6, over the frozen state government account
- Tinubu told Adeleke he had directed the EFCC to take action on the court order placed on the Osun state government account
- The development marks a direct presidential intervention in the ongoing dispute between the EFCC and the Osun state government
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President Bola Tinubu reached out to Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke on Thursday, August 6, by phone, informing him that he had directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to lift the court order placed on the Osun State Government's account.
Bayo Onanuga, the president's special adviser on information and strategy, announced the development in a statement, noting that the call signalled a direct intervention by the presidency in the matter, with Tinubu personally assuring Adeleke of the steps being taken at the federal level to resolve the freeze on the state's account.
Source: Twitter
Onanuga's statement reads:
"President Tinubu, in a phone conversation with Governor Ademola Adeleke on Thursday, informed him about his directive to the EFCC to lift the court order on the Osun State Government account."
Tinubu steps in on Osun account dispute
The court order had effectively restricted the Osun State Government's access to its account, a development that drew significant attention given the constitutional relationship between federal agencies and state governments in Nigeria.
By reaching out to Adeleke directly and communicating the directive to the EFCC, Tinubu appeared to move swiftly to address the situation through the phone conversation on Thursday.
The EFCC, which operates under federal authority, had secured the court order before the presidential directive was communicated to the Osun governor.
Onanuga has started generating mixed reactions from Nigerians. Below are some of their comments:
Aloy Ejimakor commended Tinubu
"President Tinubu did the right thing, because the Osun State account freezing by the EFCC is unarguably extra-constitutional and a flagrant violation of Nigeria’s federalism, even when the EFCC later sought to regularise it by sheer court order."
Whybean wrote:
"We're first Nigerians, before being members of political Parties. Elections should not be warfare; it's a contest of ideas between brothers. The President's directive to the EFCC to unfreeze Osun State accounts is welcome news. Let the people freely vote for their candidate."
Chibueze Durugo criticised the move:
"The strategy and tactics he used on Rivers state governor before he overwhelmed him, that's what he wants to use on Adeleke."
Gladiator commented:
"So na President dey control EFCC, thought they should act without fear or favour."
See the full statement from the presidency on X here:
Adeleke warns against rigging Osun governorship election
Legit.ng earlier reported that Osun governor Ademola Adeleke has issued a heartfelt appeal to President Bola Tinubu and cautioned against any attempt to manipulate the outcome of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.
Speaking directly to the president, Adeleke identified himself as the Chief Security Officer of Osun state and made clear that the state would not tolerate any form of electoral interference.
Source: Legit.ng
