President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately vacate the court order freezing the bank accounts of the Osun State Government, saying the timing of the action, coming just days before the state’s governorship election, could undermine public confidence in the credibility of the electoral process.
In a personally signed statement issued from the State House, Abuja, the President expressed concern over the anti-graft agency’s decision to obtain the court order on August 5, stressing that although he respects the independence of law enforcement agencies, the action’s timing was “inauspicious.”
Tinubu said he felt “deeply embarrassed” not because the EFCC acted within its statutory powers and secured a court order, but because Nigerians would inevitably attribute the agency’s action to the Presidency, regardless of whether he had prior knowledge of it.
“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 said.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to the independence of anti-corruption agencies, noting that since assuming office, he had deliberately refrained from interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC and other investigative bodies.
According to him, strong democratic institutions must be allowed to discharge their constitutional responsibilities professionally, without fear, favour or political interference.
The President, however, maintained that while he had not been fully briefed on the facts that informed the EFCC’s decision to seek the freezing order, the proximity of the action to the Osun governorship election made it necessary for him to intervene.
“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 stated.
Tinubu said preserving public confidence in the electoral process outweighed other considerations, adding that no action by any federal institution should cast doubt on the integrity, credibility and fairness of the democratic process.
He consequently directed the EFCC to immediately return to court to vacate the freezing order and discontinue all related legal actions against the Osun State Government.
“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 barely a day after the EFCC secured a court order freezing the Osun Government’s accounts as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged fraudulent handling of Ecology Fund allocations.
The development is expected to generate fresh debate over the balance between anti-corruption enforcement and the need to avoid actions capable of creating perceptions of political interference during election periods.
