Isaac Samuel
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately approach the court to vacate the order freezing the Osun State Government’s accounts, saying the timing of the action, coming days before the state’s governorship election, could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
In a statement personally signed by him on Thursday, the President said although he had no prior knowledge of the EFCC’s decision to obtain the court order, he felt “deeply embarrassed” by the timing of the action.
Tinubu stressed that his concern was not with the EFCC’s statutory powers or its decision to seek a court order, but with the perception the move could create ahead of the election.
“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,” he said.
The President reiterated his administration’s commitment to the independence of anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies, noting that he had consistently refrained from interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC and other investigative bodies.
According to him, institutions of state must be allowed to discharge their constitutional and statutory responsibilities professionally, independently and without political interference.
Tinubu, however, said every action taken by a federal institution is ultimately attributed to the President, making it necessary for him to intervene in the overriding public interest.
While noting that he was yet to be fully briefed on the facts that informed the EFCC’s application for the freezing order, the President said the proximity of the action to the Osun governorship election made its timing “inauspicious.”
“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.
Consequently, Tinubu directed the anti-graft agency to immediately return to court to vacate the freezing order and discontinue all legal actions it had instituted against the Osun State Government in the matter.
He said the directive was issued in the overriding public interest to preserve public confidence in the integrity, credibility and fairness of Nigeria’s democratic process.
The President reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening democratic institutions while ensuring that their actions do not create perceptions capable of undermining confidence in the country’s electoral system.
The development comes barely 24 hours after the EFCC announced that it had secured an interim order from the Federal High Court in Abuja freezing the bank accounts of the Osun State Government over allegations of financial misconduct involving state funds.
The anti-graft agency said the order was part of an ongoing investigation and insisted its action was purely in line with its statutory mandate, dismissing allegations that it was politically motivated or intended to influence the August 8 Osun governorship election.
The move, however, sparked widespread criticism from opposition parties, civil society organisations and legal practitioners, who argued that freezing the state’s accounts just days before the election could disrupt governance, including the payment of workers’ salaries and other essential public services.
The Osun State Government also condemned the action, describing it as an abuse of power and an attempt to destabilise the state ahead of the governorship poll. The government vowed to challenge the court order, insisting it had done nothing to warrant such a drastic measure.
