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.”
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – President Bola Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately vacate a court order freezing the bank accounts of the Osun State Government, 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 issued by presidential media aide, Bayo Onanuga, on Thursday, Tinubu said he only became aware that the anti-graft agency had secured the order on August 5, 2026, and expressed concern that the development was being linked to his administration despite his lack of prior knowledge.
Tinubu stressed that while he remained committed to allowing anti-corruption agencies to operate independently and without political interference, he considered the timing of the EFCC’s action inappropriate.
“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 that since assuming office, he had deliberately refrained from interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC and other investigative agencies because of his belief in strengthening democratic institutions and upholding the rule of law.
The President said institutions established by law should be allowed to perform their statutory responsibilities without seeking prior approval from the Presidency, adding that he had not yet been fully briefed on the circumstances that prompted the EFCC to obtain the court order.
However, he maintained that with the Osun governorship election only days away, the action risked creating the impression that federal institutions were being deployed to influence the outcome of the poll.
“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 said.
He said preserving public confidence in the integrity, credibility and fairness of the democratic process made it necessary for him to intervene.
“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 added.
The development comes as political activities intensify ahead of the Osun State governorship election, with the ruling party and opposition parties engaged in a keen contest for control of the state.
The EFCC had reportedly secured a court order on August 5 freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government as part of an ongoing investigation. Although details of the investigation have not been made public, the action immediately generated political reactions because of its proximity to the election.
Tinubu’s intervention marks a rare instance in which the President has publicly directed the EFCC to halt an ongoing enforcement action, arguing that protecting the credibility of the electoral process outweighs the need to proceed with the case at this time.