President Tinubu Orders EFCC to Vacate Court Order Freezing Osun Government Accounts

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately return to court and vacate the order freezing the bank accounts of the Osun State Government, citing concerns over the timing of the action ahead of the state’s governorship election.

In a State House statement issued on Thursday, the President said he became aware that the EFCC had secured a court order on August 5, 2026, freezing the state’s accounts. While affirming the commission’s statutory powers to investigate alleged financial crimes, Tinubu expressed discomfort with the timing of the move, saying it could create the impression that the Federal Government was interfering in the electoral process.

The President stressed that he had consistently allowed anti-corruption agencies and other law enforcement institutions to operate independently without political interference since assuming office. He said he deliberately refrained from directing the operational activities of the EFCC because he believes that strong democratic institutions must function within the confines of the law.

Tinubu noted that, although he had not yet been fully briefed on the circumstances that led the EFCC to obtain the court order, he considered the timing of the action “inauspicious,” given that Osun State is only days away from its governorship election.

According to him, no action by any federal institution should give the impression that it is being used to influence or interfere with a democratic process.

The President said that, in the overriding public interest and to preserve public confidence in the integrity, credibility and fairness of the electoral process, he had directed the EFCC to immediately approach the court to vacate the freezing order and discontinue the action against the Osun State Government.

Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the rule of law, institutional independence and the protection of Nigeria’s democratic processes.