Isaac Fayose criticizes EFCC for freezing Osun state's bank accounts

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A social commentator and younger brother of a former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, Isaac Fayose, has faulted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over its decision to freeze the Osun State Government’s account, describing the move as selective and politically motivated.

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Fayose, in a video posted on his verified Facebook page on Wednesday, accused the anti-graft agency of failing to take similar action against the Ekiti State Government during the June governorship election, despite what he alleged was large-scale vote buying in that state.

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“How can you freeze a whole state account, putting about four million people into nonsense?” he asked. “Why didn’t you freeze Ekiti’s account in June? Why did you allow Ekiti to buy votes?”

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The EFCC had, on Wednesday, placed a “Post No Debit” restriction on Osun State’s statutory allocation account domiciled with First Bank, barring withdrawals as part of an ongoing investigation into the state government.

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Fayose accused the commission of double standards, alleging that state governments loyal to the Federal Government were spared similar scrutiny during elections while Osun was being targeted ahead of its August 15 governorship poll.

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He also raised concerns about the 2027 general election, alleging plans by unnamed political forces to manipulate the outcome, and urged Nigerians to demand the resignation of the Independent National Electoral Commission chairman and the EFCC leadership if they wanted the situation to change.

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“These people will come back if you keep quiet,” he said. “The more you keep quiet, the more they do it.”

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Reacting to the freeze on Wednesday, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, had demanded an explanation from the EFCC chairman, calling the freeze illegal since it was carried out without a court order. The governor said he had instructed his Attorney General to challenge the action at the Federal High Court in Osogbo.

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The state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, had also argued that while the EFCC had power to investigate government accounts, it lacked the authority to freeze them without first obtaining a court order

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However, the EFCC, in a statement on its official X account, said it had been investigating the Osun State Government since March 2026 over the alleged fraudulent handling of about N11bn in ecology, intervention and FAAC-related funds. The commission said the probe alone would not have warranted freezing the accounts, but claimed it detected suspicious movement of funds from the government’s accounts beginning August 2.

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The Nigerian Bar Association president, Afam Osigwe, warned that restricting withdrawals from a state government’s accounts would effectively cripple governance and amount to an abuse of power

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The Osun governorship election is scheduled for August 15, with Adeleke of the Accord Party seeking re-election.

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