President Bola Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to return to court immediately and withdraw the order freezing the Osun State Government’s accounts.
The President said the move was needed to protect public confidence in the democratic process, with the state only days away from its governorship election.
In a statement released by the State House on Thursday, Tinubu said he was not against the EFCC carrying out its legal duties but questioned the timing of the action.
“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.
The EFCC secured the court order as part of its probe into alleged financial infractions involving the Osun State Government. The commission defended its action, saying it acted within the law and had the power to restrict accounts linked to suspected financial crimes. It also said it could freeze accounts for 72 hours without a court order before seeking further judicial approval.
Tinubu said actions taken by federal agencies are often linked to him, whether or not he approved them beforehand.
“This is so because every action taken by an institution of State, especially at the Federal level, is always credited to me, as the President, even when I may not have had any prior knowledge of the action,” he stated.
The President said he had always allowed anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies to perform their duties without 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.
He added that he had avoided interfering in the work of the EFCC and other investigative agencies because he believes strong democratic institutions are vital.
“I have therefore deliberately refrained from directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative or prosecutorial agency because I firmly believe that strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law,” he said.
Although Tinubu said he had not received a full briefing on the reasons behind the court order, he insisted the timing called for action.
“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,” the President said.
He said nothing should create the impression that any federal agency was being used to influence the coming governorship election.
“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,” Tinubu added.
The President described his directive as being in the public interest and aimed at protecting the credibility of the democratic process.
“Based on the foregoing premise, I am duty-bound to issue a directive on this issue in consonance with the overriding public interest in preserving public confidence and the integrity, credibility, and fairness of our democratic process,” he said.
Tinubu then instructed the commission to withdraw the court order and end its action 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 statement read.
The directive follows a disagreement between the Osun State Government and the EFCC over the frozen accounts. The state government denied allegations of misappropriating N11bn and accused the commission of trying to justify its action. The EFCC maintained that its investigation was not politically driven and remained focused on suspected financial crimes.
