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Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke on Wednesday vowed to challenge the freezing of the state government’s account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Adeleke alleged that the move was part of a broader campaign of intimidation ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
Speaking at a press conference in Osogbo, Adeleke said the EFCC had instructed the state’s banker to freeze the account without a court order.
He described the EFCC’s action as “illegal” and “a threat to our democracy.”
“We are supposed to be in a democracy, where the Rule of Law must always prevail. We will therefore, not accept a situation where federal agencies trample on the constitutional rights of subnational governments,” the governor said.
“This is a threat to our democracy. If we all keep quiet and allow this illegality, very soon, whatever is left of our democracy will be fully eroded.”
Adeleke said he had instructed the state’s Attorney General to challenge the account freeze at the High Court in Osogbo.
The governor linked the EFCC action to what he described as a pattern of harassment targeting his administration and the Accord Party ahead of the election.
He said 60 Accord Party members had been arrested and taken to Abuja without charges, and several others had been killed.
“All these intimidation and attacks were carried out on the order of Gboyega Oyetola over an election his candidate cannot win,” Adeleke said, referring to his predecessor and a rival in the upcoming poll.
The governor also cited “deliberate paralysis of the local government system,” “open gun attacks on Osun people,” and “constant police raids and arrest of Accord leaders for no reason and without any warrant of arrest.”
The EFCC’s directive, contained in a letter dated August 5, instructed First Bank to place a post-no-debit restriction on the Osun State Government Statutory Allocation account pending the conclusion of an investigation, according to documents seen by AFP.
The commission stated that the directive followed an earlier correspondence dated April 15, 2026, and was made pursuant to Section 38(1) and (2) of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004.
However, Adeleke insisted the agency lacked the legal authority to freeze a state government account.
“This and all other illegalities being visited on Osun State is turning our democracy into a huge joke,” he said.
The EFCC had not issued an official response to the governor’s allegations at the time of publication.
Adeleke said he would press ahead with his campaign despite the developments.
“As for me, we are pushing ahead with our campaign,” he said.
TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE DELIVERED BY GOVERNOR ADEMOLA ADELEKE ON THE FREEZING OF THE OSUN STATE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNT BY THE EFCC
Gentlemen of the press and good people of Osun state
You are all aware of the many challenges Osun people and her government have been facing in… pic.twitter.com/AiZYIU6gjF
— Gov Ademola Adeleke (@AAdeleke_01) August 5, 2026
