Osun State Government has threatened to institute legal action against Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the reported freezing of local government allocation accounts, describing the move as unlawful and a violation of constitutional provisions governing local government finances.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement, the state government said the action has disrupted the disbursement of statutory allocations to the state’s 30 local government councils and could affect the payment of workers’ salaries, execution of projects and delivery of essential services at the grassroots. It argued that the accounts contain constitutionally guaranteed public funds meant for local government administration and should not be subjected to arbitrary restrictions.
The government maintained that it had not received any valid court order authorising the freezing of the accounts and warned that it would seek judicial intervention if the restriction was not lifted immediately.
It also accused federal authorities of undermining local government administration in the state, insisting that the continued withholding or freezing of council funds amounts to a breach of the Constitution and recent judicial pronouncements on local government financial autonomy.
The development comes amid ongoing political and legal disputes over the administration of local governments in Osun State. The controversy has also reignited debate over the management of local government allocations, with the state government insisting that councils should have unhindered access to their statutory funds to ensure effective governance and service delivery.
