President Bola Tinubu on Thursday directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately return to court and vacate the order freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government.
The directive by the President came ahead of the Osun governorship election, which has heightened scrutiny of actions by government institutions and their possible impact on the electoral process.
The development comes amid a dispute between the Osun State Government and the EFCC over the freezing of the state’s accounts. The anti-graft agency had insisted that its investigation was not politically motivated and that its mandate was to investigate and prosecute suspected cases of financial crimes.
The state government had dismissed the commission’s claims of financial misconduct, denying that N11 billion was looted from the state’s account. It accused the commission of making unfounded claims to justify what it described as an unlawful freezing of government funds.
According to the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo, the freezing of the state’s account was intended to prevent it from paying palliatives promised to workers, rather than to stop the alleged diversion of public funds.
Tinubu, in a statement he personally signed, explained that his directive was necessary to protect public confidence in the democratic process, noting that the state was only days away from its governorship election.
While pointing out that not opposed to the EFCC’s exercise of its statutory powers, the president expressed concern over the timing of the action.
According to him, “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 EFCC had obtained the order as part of its investigation into alleged financial infractions involving the Osun State Government.
The commission had earlier defended the move, insisting that its actions were within the law and that it had the authority to place restrictions on accounts suspected to be linked to financial crimes.
The anti-graft agency also stated that it could freeze accounts for 72 hours without a court order before seeking judicial approval for further restrictions.
Tinubu, however, said actions taken by federal institutions were often attributed to him as President, regardless of whether he had prior knowledge of them.
“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 since assuming office, he had maintained that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies should operate independently 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 deliberately avoided directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or other investigative agencies because of his belief in strong democratic institutions.
“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.
Tinubu noted that although he was yet to be fully briefed on the facts that informed the EFCC’s decision to seek the court order, the timing of the action required his 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,” the President said.
He said the proximity of the election made it necessary to avoid actions that could undermine confidence in 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,” Tinubu added.
The President said his directive was issued in the overriding public interest and to preserve the integrity 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 subsequently ordered the commission to discontinue the action against the 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.