President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately return to court and vacate the order freezing the bank accounts of the Osun State Government, describing the timing of the action as inappropriate with the state’s governorship election only days away.
The President gave the directive in a personally signed statement issued from the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday.
Tinubu explained that although he remains committed to the independence of anti-corruption agencies and respects the EFCC’s statutory powers, he considered the timing of the court order capable of creating the impression that federal institutions were being used to influence the electoral process.
“It has come to my notice that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) obtained a court order on August 5, 2026, freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government. I must state that I feel deeply embarrassed not by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate backed by a court order, but by the timing of the agency’s action,” the President stated.
He noted that every action taken by a federal institution is often attributed to the Presidency, even in instances where he has no prior knowledge of such actions.
The President reiterated his long-standing policy of allowing anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies to operate independently without political interference.
“Since assuming office, I have consistently maintained that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to discharge their statutory responsibilities independently, professionally, without fear or favour, or political interference,” Tinubu said.
According to him, he has deliberately refrained from directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC and other investigative agencies because strong democratic institutions operating within the law are essential to good governance and the rule of law.
Tinubu explained that while he had not yet been fully briefed on the circumstances that informed the EFCC’s decision to seek the court order, he believed the action was ill-timed.
“While I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of EFCC in approaching the court to obtain the said order freezing the Osun State Government account, I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious, and therefore I feel compelled to intervene,” he said.
The President stressed that with the Osun State governorship election only days away, every institution of government must avoid actions capable of undermining public confidence in the credibility and fairness of the electoral process.
“Osun State is only a few days away from its gubernatorial election. Therefore, nothing ought to be done to give an impression that the EFCC or indeed any other agency of the Federal Government is being used to interfere with the election,” he added.
Consequently, Tinubu directed the anti-graft agency to immediately discontinue the legal action against the Osun State Government in respect of the account freeze.
“Accordingly, I have directed the EFCC to immediately proceed to the court to vacate the order and discontinue whatever action it has instituted against the Osun State Government in this regard,” the President declared.
The directive comes amid widespread public debate over the EFCC’s decision to obtain a court order freezing the state’s accounts just days before the August 15 governorship election, a move that had drawn criticism from the Osun State Government, legal practitioners and political stakeholders.