The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant General of the Federation (AG-F) have denied claims that they released withheld allocations meant for Osun State local governments to All Progressives Congress (APC) council chairmen and councillors elected in 2022.
CBN, AG-F Fault Fund Release Claims
At the resumed hearing of a suit filed by the Osun State Government, counsels for the CBN, Murtala Abdulrasheed (SAN), and for the AG-F, Tajudeen Oladoja (SAN), dismissed the allegation as unfounded. They told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday that the funds had not been released, contrary to reports.
Their response followed submissions by the plaintiff’s counsel, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), who alleged that the CBN and AG-F unlawfully released the money between Thursday and Friday last week to the APC officials whose tenure is set to end on October 22.
Plaintiff Alleges Breach of Court Order
Adetunbi argued that the release violated an earlier court order directing parties to maintain the status quo pending determination of the case. He claimed the allocations were disbursed through special accounts opened with the United Bank for Africa (UBA).
He further informed the court that his client secured a restraining order from an Oyo State High Court to stop UBA from disbursing the funds. According to him, the choice of Oyo was due to the ongoing strike by Osun State judiciary workers.
Although he said copies of the restraining order had been served on UBA, the CBN, and the AG-F, he admitted he had no documentary proof of service at the moment.
Defence Labels Allegation as Rumour
Abdulrasheed and Oladoja maintained that Adetunbi’s allegations remained speculative without supporting evidence. They insisted no such release of funds occurred.
Case Transfer Dispute
The court also entertained arguments on whether to return the case to the Osogbo division of the Federal High Court. The suit was originally filed in Osogbo by the Osun State Attorney General but was transferred to Abuja on the directive of the Chief Judge after a request from the Attorney General of the Federation.
Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the matter to October 16 for ruling on the transfer request.
