UBA Cannot Continue In Criminal Partnership With The Court-Sacked Chairmen-Osun Accord Party Chairman

….UBA should also use this opportunity to redeem its image, says Party

The Osun State chapter of the Accord party has asked the United Bank for Africa to use the opportunity of the judgement of the of the Federal High Court to deny the prayers of the Yes/No chairmen in Osun state to redeem its image.

It would be recalled that the party has the judgement of the Federal High Court. In statement it said; “The Yes/No chairmen prayed the court to derecognise the 2025 local government election,  invalidate the oath of office of the elected Chairmen inaugurated by Governor Adeleke in February,  2025, recognise their own election, to accept that their tenure was truncated and that they need to complete their alleged tenure, and for the police to continue to provide security for them.”

“However, in a well-considered judgment, the Court refused all their prayers and asserted they have no legal foundation to file the case in the first place.”

According to the party, it said, “ The UBA should also use this opportunity to redeem its image by correcting the error in the opening of accounts for the local governments.”

“This is the time for the bank to allow signatories prescribed by law to sign the local government accounts. The bank cannot afford to continue in criminal partnership with the court-sacked chairmen”, the Party statement posited.

The party hailed the judgment of the Federal High Court, denying the prayers of the Yes/No chairmen, calling on the sacked chairmen to abandon their illegal actions on the local government leadership question.

Recalled sometime in January 2026 the state government instituted a criminal case against the United Bank for Africa and its top officials over alleged illegal LGA accounts.

The case stems from alleged illegal opening and operation of local government accounts.

The suit, filed by the state government and marked Charge No: MOS/601c/2025, names the bank and the following executives as defendants: Group Managing Director, Mr. Oliver Alawuba; Company Secretary and Group Legal Adviser, Mr. Billy Odum; and Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Chukwuma Nweke.

According to court documents, the 31-count charge alleges that the defendants conspired, beginning December 9, 2025, at UBA’s Osun State branch in Olonkoro, Osogbo, to unlawfully open, operate, and maintain bank accounts for all 30 local government councils in the state. Each count relates to a separate infraction involving the councils.

The state government claims that the accounts were operated “by unknown private individuals as signatories,” contrary to directives from the Local Government Service Commission, which had introduced official council directors as the authorized signatories. The alleged actions are said to violate Sections 2 and 3 (1) and (2), and punishable under Section 5(1) and (2) of the Osun State Local Government Accounts Administration Law, 2025, as well as Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume 2, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

Again, recalled that in January 2026 when the case came up for hearing, the court issued bench warrant against four of UBA’s top officials for refusing to obey summons by the court.

A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, issued arrest warrants against the United Bank for Africa Plc and four of its senior officials over the alleged illegal operation and maintenance of bank accounts in the name of the 30 local government councils in the state.

In a Certified True Copy of the order titled “Warrant for Arrest of Defendant Who Has Disobeyed Summons (General Title – Form No. 1)”, addressed to the Osun State Commissioner of Police, the court stated in part, “Complaint has been made that the defendant(s) did allow unauthorised persons to operate and maintain 30 accounts opened in favour of the 30 Local Government Councils in Osun State with UBA Bank Plc.

“And the defendant(s) were thereupon summoned to appear before the Chief Magistrate’s Court of Osogbo. An oath has been made that the defendant(s) were duly served with the summons but did not appear, and that such complaint is true.

“You are hereby commanded to bring the defendant(s) before the Magistrate’s Court forthwith to answer to the said complaint or be further dealt with according to law.”

The defendants in the suit are United Bank for Africa Plc; its Group Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba; the Company Secretary and Group Legal Adviser, Billy Odum; and the Deputy Managing Director, Chukwuma Nweke.

According to the charge sheet, the Osun State Government filed a 31-count charge against the bank and its officials, with each count relating to alleged infractions connected to the opening and operation of bank accounts for the state’s 30 local government councils.

In count one, the prosecution alleged that the defendants, on or about December 9, 2025, and on subsequent days, at Olonkoro, Osogbo branch of the UBA, conspired to commit a felony by opening, operating, and maintaining what it described as illegal Osun State Local Government Council accounts.

The alleged offence, according to the charge is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume 2, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

The defendants were further accused of allowing the opening, operation, and maintenance of local government accounts “by unknown private individuals as signatories,” despite the Local Government Service Commission having formally introduced Directors of Administration and General Services, as well as Directors of Finance of the councils, as the authorised signatories to the statutory accounts.

The prosecution said the action constituted an offence contrary to Sections 2 and 3(1) and (2), and punishable under Section 5(1) and (2) of the Osun State Local Government Accounts Administration Law, 2025.

Court documents show that the remaining counts similarly relate to the alleged unlawful opening and operation of accounts connected to all 30 local government councils in Osun State.