I’m A Bulldozer — Adeleke Dares APC’s Federal Might, Accuses Oyetola Of Engineering EFCC Account Freeze

• Adeleke declares he is unafraid of APC’s alleged ‘federal might’, insisting Osun voters—not visiting governors—will decide the August 15 governorship election.

• Governor alleges ex-governor Gboyega Oyetola orchestrated the EFCC’s freezing of Osun’s account by invoking President Bola Tinubu’s name to pressure federal institutions.

• Says President Tinubu later called him, described the account freeze as ’embarrassing’ and reaffirmed commitment to a free and fair election.

• Rejects allegations of militarising Osun, insisting only the Commander-in-Chief can deploy the military, while urging voters to defend their mandate peacefully.

August 11, () — The battle for the August 15 Osun State governorship election took a dramatic turn on Tuesday as Governor Ademola Adeleke declared that he was unfazed by what he described as the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s “federal might”, boldly describing himself as “a bulldozer” capable of overcoming political intimidation, external influence and pressure from powerful political interests determined to unseat him.

Adeleke, the Accord Party governorship candidate seeking re-election, made the declaration during the Arise Television Governorship Town Hall Meeting, where he insisted that neither the deployment of influential APC governors nor alleged federal backing for the opposition would determine the outcome of Saturday’s election.

“I am a bulldozer. I am talk and do. I am not afraid of federal might and governors backing the APC candidate. If they like, they should bring all the governors”, Adeleke declared.

The governor maintained that while APC governors were free to campaign for their party’s candidate, the ultimate decision belonged to the people of Osun State.

“Those governors are my friends. They are free to come. They won’t vote. They can only campaign and dance. After the election, we will all meet again”, he said.

Links EFCC Account Freeze To Political Plot

Adeleke also revisited the controversial freezing of the Osun State statutory accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging that the action formed part of a broader political strategy to weaken his administration ahead of the governorship election.

The governor accused his predecessor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of influencing the anti-graft agency by allegedly invoking the authority of President Bola Tinubu.

“I am sure he (Oyetola) told the EFCC to freeze our account, saying Mr President directed that it should be frozen”, Adeleke alleged.

The allegation comes amid an ongoing political controversy over the EFCC’s decision to obtain a court order freezing the account over alleged financial infractions involving state funds.

Adeleke claimed President Tinubu later reached out to him personally after the controversy erupted.

According to the governor, the President expressed displeasure over the development and assured him that democratic principles must not be undermined.

“When Mr President called me, many people were surprised. He said he was embarrassed. He told me what happened was not acceptable because he would not want democracy to suffer. He said he wanted a free and fair election in Osun”, Adeleke stated.

The governor suggested the President’s intervention demonstrated that the account freeze did not enjoy presidential backing, contrary to what he alleged some political actors wanted the public to believe.

Adeleke further accused Oyetola of remaining bitter over the outcome of the 2022 governorship election, which ended the APC’s control of Osun State.

He alleged that his predecessor was using federal institutions and political connections to pursue what he described as a vendetta against his administration.

“Oyetola is still feeling the pain of defeat. He is only using the President’s name and federal might because he vowed to destroy Osun State”, the governor alleged.

Rejects Militarisation Claims

Responding to accusations that his administration had militarised the state ahead of the election, Adeleke dismissed the claims as politically motivated.

He argued that a state governor has no constitutional authority to deploy the Armed Forces, insisting that such powers reside exclusively with the President as Commander-in-Chief.

“I did not militarise Osun. I have no such capacity. I am not the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces”, he said.

The governor urged residents to remain peaceful and participate massively in Saturday’s governorship election, expressing confidence that the electorate would renew his mandate.