BREAKING: Tinubu orders EFCC to unfreeze Osun Government accounts

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately return to court and vacate the order freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government.

The President said the directive was necessary to protect public confidence in the democratic process, noting that the state is only days away from its governorship election.

In a statement issued by the State House on Thursday, Tinubu stressed that while he supports the EFCC’s statutory powers, he was deeply concerned about the timing of the commission’s action.

“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.

The EFCC had secured the court order as part of an investigation into alleged financial infractions involving the Osun State Government.

The anti-graft agency had defended its action, insisting it acted within the law and possessed the authority to restrict accounts linked to suspected financial crimes. It also maintained that it could freeze accounts for up to 72 hours without a court order before seeking judicial approval for an extended restriction.

Tinubu, however, observed that actions taken by federal institutions are often attributed to him as President, regardless of whether he had prior knowledge of them.

“This is so because every action taken by an institution of the 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.

The President reiterated that since assuming office, he has consistently allowed anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies to carry out their constitutional responsibilities independently 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.

“I have therefore deliberately refrained from directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative or prosecutorial agency because I firmly believe that strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law,” he stated.

Although Tinubu said he was yet to receive a full briefing on the circumstances that informed the EFCC’s decision to obtain the court order, he maintained that the timing warranted presidential intervention.

“While I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of the 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 the EFCC is inauspicious, and therefore I feel compelled to intervene,” he said.

The President stressed that with the Osun governorship election only days away, no action should create the impression that any federal institution is being used to influence the electoral process.

“Osun State is only a few days away from its governorship 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 added.

Tinubu said his decision was guided by the overriding public interest and the need to preserve the integrity, credibility and fairness of Nigeria’s democratic process.

He subsequently directed the EFCC to immediately discontinue its action against the Osun State Government.

“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 statement said.

The directive followed a dispute between the Osun State Government and the EFCC over the freezing of the state’s accounts.

While the Osun State Government denied allegations of misappropriating about ₦11 billion and accused the EFCC of attempting to justify its action, the commission insisted its investigation was not politically motivated and was solely aimed at investigating suspected financial crimes.

Tinubu’s intervention comes ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, amid heightened scrutiny of the activities of government institutions and their potential impact on the electoral process.