President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to immediately vacate a court order freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government.
In a statement issued on Thursday, August 6, 2026, the President said the EFCC obtained the court order on August 5, 2026, freezing Osun’s accounts, just days to the state’s governorship election.
President Tinubu said he was “deeply embarrassed” not by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate, but by the timing of the action.
“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 said.
‘Institutions Must Be Independent’
The President reiterated his commitment to allowing anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies to operate independently, professionally, and without political 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 stated.
He noted that he has deliberately refrained from directing the EFCC or any other investigative agency because “strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law.”
Why The Intervention
Despite his non-interference stance, the President said the timing of the EFCC’s action was “inauspicious” and could undermine public 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,” he said.
“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.”
The Directive
President Tinubu therefore 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 added that while he is yet to be fully briefed on the facts that informed the EFCC’s action, the need to protect the credibility of the election necessitated his intervention.