JUST IN: Tinubu directs EFCC to vacate court order freezing Osun govt account

President Bola 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.

The directive was contained in a statement personally issued by the President on Thursday, following reports that the anti-graft agency obtained a court order on August 5, 2026, freezing the state’s accounts as part of an ongoing investigation.

President Tinubu said although the EFCC acted within its statutory mandate by obtaining a court order, he was concerned about the timing of the action, noting that it could create the impression of political interference ahead of the election.

“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 President said.

He explained that actions taken by federal institutions are often attributed to the Presidency, regardless of whether he had prior knowledge of them.

Tinubu reiterated his commitment to the independence of anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies, saying he had deliberately avoided interfering in the operations of the EFCC and other investigative bodies since assuming office.

According to him, “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.”

The President said he believed strong democratic institutions must operate within the law and without undue influence, adding that government agencies should be allowed to perform their responsibilities independently.

However, he noted that while he was yet to receive full details of the circumstances that informed the EFCC’s decision to seek the court order, the timing of the action required 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,” he said.

The President observed that with the Osun governorship election only days away, no action should create the perception that federal institutions were being used 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,” Tinubu stated.

He said preserving public confidence in the integrity and credibility of Nigeria’s democratic process informed his decision to intervene.

“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 said.