Adeleke Drops EFCC Lawsuit Following Tinubu Intervention

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has directed the state's Attorney General to withdraw a lawsuit filed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the freezing of a government bank account, citing the intervention of President Bola Tinubu. The decision comes just hours after Adeleke was declared the winner of the August 15 governorship election.

Adeleke disclosed the move in an interview with Channels Television on August 17, stating he was prepared to put the legal battle behind him. "I'm putting them behind. What else do I want? I have instructed my attorney general to drop it. Mr President has done well. He called me. What more do I want?" Adeleke said.

The lawsuit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 5, sought to nullify the EFCC's directive to freeze the state's statutory allocation account and demanded 2 billion in exemplary damages. The EFCC had stated the freeze was part of an investigation into the alleged fraudulent handling of funds by the state government, including about 11 billion in Ecology Funds, intervention funds, and Federation Account allocations. The commission also alleged it detected suspicious transfers from the state's...