By Sandra Kenneth
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately approach the court to vacate an order freezing the bank accounts of the Osun State Government.
The President’s directive comes less than 24 hours after the anti-graft agency obtained the court order on August 5, 2026, a move Tinubu described as “inauspicious” given the state’s upcoming gubernatorial election.
In an official Presidential Statement issued from the Aso Rock Villa on Thursday, President Tinubu expressed deep embarrassment over the timing of the EFCC’s action, noting that federal enforcement measures are often politically attributed to his administration even when carried out without his prior knowledge.
“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 is inauspicious, and therefore I feel compelled to intervene,” Tinubu stated.
Emphasizing the political sensitivity of the situation, the President stressed that nothing should be done to create the impression that federal agencies are being deployed to influence the electoral outcome in Osun State.
“Osun State is only a few days away from its gubernatorial election,” the statement read. “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.”
While reiterating his commitment to institutional independence and non-interference in law enforcement operations, President Tinubu maintained that overriding public interest and the need to preserve public confidence in the democratic process necessitated his intervention.
“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.
