President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to immediately vacate the court order freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government.
In a statement issued from the State House on Thursday, and signed by the President, he said he was informed that the EFCC obtained the order on August 5, 2026.
While affirming that anti-corruption agencies must operate independently, Tinubu said the timing of the action was “inauspicious” given that Osun State is days away from its gubernatorial election.
“It has come to my notice that the EFCC obtained a court order freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government,” the President said.
“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. Every action taken by an institution of State, especially at the federal level, is credited to me as President, even when I may not have had prior knowledge.”
Since assuming office, Tinubu said he has refrained from interfering in the operations of law enforcement and anti-graft agencies.
“I have consistently maintained that the EFCC and other agencies must discharge their statutory responsibilities independently, professionally, and without fear, favour, or political interference. Strong institutions operating within the law are indispensable to good governance and the rule of law,” he added.
However, the President noted that with the Osun governorship election imminent, nothing should be done to create the impression that federal agencies are being used to interfere in the electoral process.
“While I am yet to be fully briefed on the facts that informed the EFCC’s action, I am in no doubt that the timing is wrong. I am therefore compelled to intervene in the overriding public interest of preserving confidence in our democratic process,” he stated.
President Tinubu said he has directed the EFCC “to immediately proceed to court to vacate the order and discontinue whatever action it has instituted against the Osun State Government in this regard.”
He reaffirmed his commitment to allowing institutions to function without prior approval, but stressed that public interest and the credibility of elections must also be protected.
