Democracy Under Attack – Adeleke Drags EFCC To Court Over Frozen Osun Account

• Governor Ademola Adeleke announces legal action against the EFCC after the anti-graft agency froze the Osun State Government salary account without a court order, describing the move as an assault on democracy and constitutional governance.

• Adeleke accuses former Governor Gboyega Oyetola of orchestrating a sustained campaign of intimidation through federal security agencies, alleging arbitrary arrests, police raids and the detention of more than 60 Accord members in Abuja.

• Governor challenges the EFCC Chairman to publicly justify the freezing of the state’s account and provide evidence supporting the Commission’s action, insisting the agency acted outside the law.

• Despite the escalating political and legal battle ahead of the August 15 governorship election, Adeleke vows to continue his re-election campaign while seeking redress at the Federal High Court in Osogbo.

August 5, () — Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has declared that democracy is under attack in Nigeria as he announced plans to drag the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the Federal High Court over the freezing of the Osun State Government’s salary account.

The governor, who addressed journalists at a press conference in Osogbo on Wednesday, described the action of the anti-graft agency as unconstitutional, unlawful and a dangerous abuse of federal power, warning that allowing such actions to go unchallenged could undermine Nigeria’s democratic system.

His reaction followed an EFCC directive, seen by , instructing First Bank to place the Osun State Government Salary Account on “Post No Debit” (PND) status as part of what the Commission described as ongoing investigation activities.

The directive, dated August 5, 2026, cited Sections 38(1) and (2) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004, and Section 24 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as the legal basis for the restriction.

Adeleke said the freezing of the state’s account without a court order represented a direct attack on constitutional democracy and the rule of law.

“As if all these were not enough, this morning we received a letter from our banker forwarding a letter from the EFCC instructing the bank to freeze the Osun State Government account. This action was taken without any court order.

“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 sub-national governments. This is a threat to our democracy”, the governor said.

He warned that failure to challenge such actions could embolden federal institutions to continue violating constitutional limits.

“If we all keep quiet and allow this illegality, very soon, whatever is left of our democracy will be fully eroded”, he added.

Levels Allegations Against Oyetola

The governor alleged that the freezing of the account was the latest in what he described as a coordinated campaign of intimidation against his administration ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

According to him, Osun State has witnessed months of disruption to local government administration, repeated police raids, harassment of political supporters and violent attacks.

“You know of the deliberate paralysis of the local government system, the open gun attacks on Osun people and the daily harassment and arrests of Accord members”, he said.

Adeleke further alleged that more than 60 Accord members had been arrested and transferred to Abuja without any formal charges, while several others had lost their lives.

He accused former Governor and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of directing the alleged intimidation campaign in an attempt to influence the outcome of the governorship election.

“All these intimidation and attacks were carried out on the order of Gboyega Oyetola over an election his candidate cannot win”, Adeleke alleged.

Adeleke challenged the Chairman of the EFCC to publicly explain why the state’s account was frozen and disclose the evidence supporting the Commission’s decision.

“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 the Osun State Government account, and show proof to support whatever reason he presents”, he said.

He maintained that the action, alongside what he described as other acts of intimidation against the state, was turning Nigeria’s democracy into “a huge joke”.

Heads to Court

The governor disclosed that he had directed the Osun State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to immediately institute legal proceedings against the EFCC at the Federal High Court in Osogbo.

“I have instructed my Attorney-General to challenge this illegality at the Federal High Court, Osogbo,” Adeleke announced.

He, however, insisted that the legal dispute would not distract his administration from seeking another mandate.

“As for me, we are pushing ahead with our campaign”, he said.

As of the time of filing this report, the EFCC had not issued any official response to the governor’s allegations or his decision to challenge the account restriction in court.