President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately take steps to 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 country’s democratic process.
In a statement personally signed by the President on Thursday from the State House, Abuja, Tinubu said although he respected the statutory powers of the EFCC to investigate corruption and enforce the law, he was embarrassed by the timing of the commission’s decision to obtain the court order just days before the Osun State governorship election.
According to the President, while the EFCC acted pursuant to a court order secured on August 5, 2026, every action taken by a federal institution is often attributed to the Presidency, irrespective of whether he had prior knowledge of such actions.
“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,” Tinubu said.
The President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the independence of anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies, stressing that since assuming office, he had deliberately refrained from interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative body.
He noted that strong democratic institutions must be allowed to function professionally, without fear, favour or political interference, adding that such independence remains essential to the rule of law and good governance.
Tinubu, however, maintained that while institutions should be free to discharge their legal responsibilities, their actions must also be guided by the broader public interest, especially during sensitive political periods.
The President disclosed that although he had yet to receive a full briefing on the circumstances that prompted the EFCC to seek the freezing order, he considered the timing of the move “inauspicious.”
He warned that with the Osun governorship election only days away, no action should create the impression that any federal agency was being deployed to influence 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 stated.
Invoking what he described as the overriding public interest and the need to preserve public confidence in the integrity, credibility and fairness of Nigeria’s democratic process, Tinubu announced that he had directed the anti-graft agency to immediately reverse its action.
“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 directive comes amid widespread controversy following the freezing of the Osun State Government’s accounts by the EFCC, a move that had generated sharp political reactions and accusations of partisanship ahead of the state’s governorship election.
Tinubu’s intervention is expected to calm political tensions and reinforce assurances that federal institutions will remain neutral in the conduct of the forthcoming election.
 to immediately take steps to 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 country's democratic process.){kind=link}