Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has called on the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, to explain why the anti-graft agency ordered the freezing of the state government’s bank account.
Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday, Adeleke challenged the EFCC to publicly justify its action and provide evidence to support the decision.
According to the governor, the commission directed First Bank to place a restriction on the state’s statutory allocation account without obtaining a court order.
The directive was contained in a letter dated August 5, 2026, signed by Adenike Babalola, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, on behalf of the Director of Investigation, as part of an ongoing investigation.
Reacting to the development, Adeleke described the action as a threat to democracy, insisting that federal agencies should not violate the constitutional rights of state governments.
“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,” he said.
The governor alleged that the freezing of the account is part of a series of politically motivated actions targeting his administration ahead of the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election.
He accused former Osun State Governor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of sponsoring attacks against his government over what he described as an election “his candidate cannot win.”
Adeleke also claimed that members of the Accord Party have been harassed and that attempts have been made to disrupt the operations of local government councils in the state.
Calling on the EFCC chairman to clarify the agency’s action, the governor demanded that Nigerians be told the reasons behind the account freeze.
“All I ask is for the EFCC chairman to explain to the good people of Osun State and to Nigerians in general why he froze Osun State Government Account, and show proof to support whatever reason he presents,” Adeleke stated.
The governor disclosed that he has directed the Osun State Attorney-General to challenge what he described as the illegal action at the Federal High Court.
The EFCC has yet to publicly respond to Adeleke’s allegations as of the time of filing this report.
