President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately vacate the court order freezing the bank accounts of the Osun State Government, describing the timing of the action as inappropriate and capable of undermining public confidence in the integrity of the forthcoming governorship election.
The directive was contained in a personally signed State House statement dated August 6, 2026, and later shared by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on his official X (formerly Twitter) page.
The President said he became aware that the EFCC had secured a court order on August 5, 2026, freezing the state’s accounts, stressing that although he supports the Commission’s constitutional mandate, he was embarrassed by the timing of the action.
“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,” Tinubu said.
According to the President, actions taken by federal institutions are often attributed directly to him, even where he has no prior knowledge or involvement.
Tinubu reaffirmed his long-standing policy of allowing anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies to operate independently 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,” he stated.
He explained that his administration deliberately avoids interfering in the operational decisions of agencies such as the EFCC because strong democratic institutions are essential for good governance and the rule of law.
The President noted that although he had not been fully briefed on the circumstances that led the EFCC to obtain the court order, the proximity of the August 15 Osun State governorship election made the action particularly sensitive.
“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.
Tinubu said preserving public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process required immediate intervention.
“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 consequently directed the anti-graft agency to reverse its action without delay.
“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 declared.
The development comes barely 24 hours after the EFCC defended its decision to freeze the state’s accounts, saying it was investigating the alleged diversion of about ₦11 billion in Ecology Funds, Federal Allocation (FAAC) receipts and intervention funds. The Commission had stated that investigators observed suspicious transfers of public funds into several corporate accounts beginning August 2, prompting it to obtain a Post No Debit (PND) order from the court as a preventive measure.
President Tinubu’s directive effectively reverses the EFCC’s enforcement action, signalling the Presidency’s determination to avoid any perception that federal institutions could influence the outcome of the forthcoming Osun governorship election.
Leave a comment