ADC Declares Freezing of Osun Government Account Political Terrorism

The African Democratic Congress has strongly condemned the freezing of statutory allocations and bank accounts belonging to the Osun State Government, describing the action as “political terrorism” and accusing the Federal Government of using state institutions to undermine the state ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party alleged that the move formed part of a broader campaign of political intimidation against Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration and its supporters.

Abdullahi said the decision to freeze the allocations was not an administrative or legal matter but a deliberate political strategy designed to punish the people of Osun and tilt the political landscape in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

“This is not an administrative decision or a legal dispute. It is political terrorism by the Bola Tinubu-led APC government carried out with the instruments of the Nigerian state in order to undermine the state government ahead of the coming governorship election,” the statement read.

The ADC argued that restricting access to government funds would have severe consequences for governance at the grassroots, affecting the payment of workers’ salaries, primary healthcare services, education, rural infrastructure and other essential public services . Abdullahi warned that political competition should never be pursued at the expense of governance or the welfare of ordinary citizens.

The party further alleged that the financial restrictions were only one aspect of what it described as a systematic campaign against the Osun State government.

It accused unelected APC loyalists of continuing to occupy local government councils in the state in disregard of democratic principles and the rule of law.

The ADC also claimed that opposition politicians, including members of the Accord Party, had been subjected to arbitrary arrests for political reasons, while armed groups allegedly linked to the APC had intimidated political opponents with security agencies failing to act impartially.

“This sinister move confirms that the Tinubu-led Federal Government will do anything, including starving the people of Osun State, to achieve its political objectives. Yet no democracy worthy of the name deliberately sacrifices the welfare of innocent citizens in pursuit of partisan political ends,” the statement added.

The party contended that President Bola Tinubu’s approach to politics risked undermining democratic engagement by treating electoral contests as warfare rather than competition among political parties.

Abdullahi said, “Political opponents are not enemy combatants. Opposition-controlled states are not occupied territories. Public institutions do not belong to whichever party temporarily controls the Federal Government”.

The ADC called for the immediate restoration of all statutory allocations due to Osun’s local governments, an end to what it described as federal intimidation of the state, and the restoration of constitutional order.

The party maintained that the people of Osun must be allowed to freely determine their political future without intimidation or coercion.