• ⁠Governor Consults How to Stave Off Electoral Fraud

• ⁠⁠Davido Tells Imo Gov Not to Allow Osun Become Battleground

Exactly nine days to the August 15 governorship election in Osun state, tensions have escalated over alleged plots by the opposition All Progressive Congress to rig the election. Allegations are rife that the APC in Osun has been emboldened by the promise it would get help from the APC-led Federal Government to take over the state at all cost.
Already, the ruling party, the Accord, has accused the APC-led government agencies such as the police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of unending underhand tactics to hold down Governor Ademola Adeleke and his government.
NPO Reports that Adeleke himself raised an alarm Wednesday morning saying there was a plan to freeze the account of his government by the EFCC.
As alleged, media reports later indicated that the anti-graft commission had carried out what the Governor had earlier in the day alleged was in the offing.
The EFCC later Wednesday night came out to explain that Osun is one of the many states under its investigative radar.
A statement by Dele Oyewale, EFCC’s spokesman, confirmed the placing of restrictions on the accounts of the government at the First Bank of Nigeria.
The EFCC said it did not initially consider placing a Post No Debit (PND) order on the state’s accounts but was forced to act after detecting suspicious movements of funds.
According to the agency, investigators observed huge transfers from the state’s accounts into several corporate entities beginning on August 2, 2026, prompting the commission to immediately freeze the affected accounts.
“These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.
“The Commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved.”
The commission added that it could not watch while the financial resources of a state are pillaged.
“The Commission cannot watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged.
“While the Commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state,” Oyewale’s statement noted
Earlier in the day, Commissioner for Finance in Osun, Olusola Ogungbile, had revealed how policemen arrested officials of the First Bank in Osogbo after picking up state government officials, especially those in the office of the Accountant General of the state.When asked how many state officials had been arrested by the police, Ogungbile said “In numbers!”
Those who have condemned the actions of the EFCC have alluded to a similar election that took place in Ekiti State in May which did not attract the same action from the commission.
As the day closes in, there are fresh tensions in different corners of the state with palpable fears that the situation would get much more deadly in the days leading to August 15.
On Wednesday there was tension in Ilesa and Osogbo, after some policemen stormed the residences of the Senatorial candidate of Accord Party for Osun East senatorial district, Mr. Ibukun Fadipe, also known as IBK.
NPO Reports learnt that the order for the search of Fadipe’s residences located in Ilesa and Osogbo were orchestrated by his rival for the senatorial ticket, the incumbent Senator Francis Fadahunsi of the APC.
NPO Reports that Fadahunsi was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party before his defection to the APC last year.
Recall that the Governor had himself, during a campaign at Olorunda Local Government, Osogbo on Monday, accused President Bola Tinubu of looking away as APC leaders, led by former Governor, and serving Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, perpetrate alleged killings and arrest of his loyalists. The governor had said that scores of Accord Party members have been arrested with some of them taken to Abuja and detained without trials.
An instance is Mr. Popoola Alaba, popularly called Alabama, who is the Accord Party’s House of Representatives candidate for the Ijesa South Federal Constituency, who was arrested in Osun State and transferred to detention facilities in Abuja. Alaba is still in detention.
Adeleke warned of very serious consequences similar to those of 1983 if President Tinubu fails to call Oyetola to order.
‘President Bola Tinubu, something is happening in Osun that you are not addressing. They are killing our people. You are the father of all of us.
‘They are killing our people. Our people already made it clear that they won’t accept rigging in Osun.
‘Remember what happened in 1983. It started in Yorubaland. Osun will not accept. We want a free and fair election.’ He said.
But in all of these, the APC has said that Adeleke himself is guilty of the allegations he had made against the opposition party.
Kola Olabisi, while reacting to allegations of violence made by Adeleke when he received a delegation from the British High Commission in Osogbo last month said that Adeleke assumed that the British officials were not aware of alleged violence being perpetrated against the APC members in the state.
“Governor Adeleke is guilty of the crimes he is mischievously hanging on our party, leaders and members.” Olabisi had said.
Last week, a member of the APC in Ede, Abideen Oyetunde, was attacked during an alleged ambush on the convoy of the wife of the APC governorship candidate, Dr. Sekinat Oyebamji in the Sekona area of Ede.

Oyetunde, said to be the chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers Sekona branch. Videos of the victim soaked in blood had gone viral confirming that the state has become volatile ahead of the election.
A lecturer at the Fountain University, Osogbo, who however pleaded anonymity, told the NPO Reports on Wednesday that innocent people of the state are being traumatised by the activities of both the APC and Accord ahead of the election.
The university don, who said since he has lived in Osogbo for 14 years, said he has never seen a time Osun became so unsafe ahead of elections like this one.
“Look, what ordinary citizens are saying now is that the election should just come quickly and go so people can go about their normal businesses. You won’t imagine the fears and apprehensions with which people now open shops, go to offices and their farms all because an election is coming,” he said.
On June 20, a 14 year old boy, Ezekiel Olapade, was gunned down in the presence of his parents in Ilobu, Irepodun Local Government Area of the state. The father of the deceased and many others had alleged that those who shot the boy dead came in a Toyota Sienna space bus branded in the campaign bus of the APC candidate.

There are many videos of hoodlums shooting in daylight in different parts of the state, especially the capital, Osogbo.
Former Minister of Interior, who is leading the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Osun, Rauf Aregbesola, had on Tuesday lamented the state of fears imposed on the state ahead of the election.
Aregbesola said in Iwo, during a campaign for his party’s candidate Dr. Najeem Salam, that there was never a time during his 8 years in the saddle when the people were subjected to fears of insecurity.
With the countdowns, there are fears that many lives may be lost in the days close to the election with the possibilities of poor turnout by voters on election day.