Tinubu Orders EFCC To Unfreeze Osun Accounts, Cites Election Timing

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately take steps to vacate the court order freezing the Osun State Government’s bank accounts, describing the timing of the action as inappropriate and capable of undermining public confidence ahead of the state’s governorship election.

In a personally signed statement issued on Thursday, the President directed the anti-graft agency to return to court without delay to reverse the order and discontinue all legal proceedings instituted against the Osun State Government in connection with the matter.

Although Tinubu acknowledged that the EFCC acted within its statutory powers by obtaining a court order, he said the action, coming barely days before the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, risked creating the impression that federal institutions were being deployed to influence the electoral process.

The President said he was “deeply embarrassed” not by the commission’s exercise of its legal mandate but by the timing of its intervention.

“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. 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,” Tinubu said.

The President reaffirmed his longstanding policy of allowing anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies to discharge their constitutional responsibilities independently, insisting that he had consistently resisted interfering in the operational decisions of the EFCC and other investigative bodies.

According to him, strong democratic institutions must be allowed to function within the limits of the law without political direction or undue influence.

“As President, I am committed to allowing institutions of State to function and take any action they consider necessary in the interest of proper governance without the need for any prior approval. Indeed, that is why institutions are set up by law with clearly defined powers,” he stated.

Tinubu, however, maintained that while he had not yet received a full briefing on the circumstances that informed the EFCC’s decision, the timing alone warranted presidential intervention.

“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.

He warned that with Osun State only days away from its governorship election, every federal institution must avoid actions capable of casting doubt on the credibility and neutrality 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,” the President said.

Tinubu stressed that preserving public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy was paramount, adding that his directive was informed solely by the overriding public interest.

“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,” he declared.

The President concluded by reaffirming his commitment to safeguarding democratic institutions and the rule of law while ensuring that anti-corruption efforts are carried out without generating perceptions of political interference.