Tinubu Orders EFCC to Unfreeze Osun Accounts Before Governorship Poll
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately vacate a court order freezing the bank accounts of the Osun State Government, saying the timing of the action, just days before the state’s governorship election, could undermine public confidence in the credibility of the electoral process.
In a personally signed statement issued from the State House, Abuja, the President said although he had no prior knowledge of the EFCC’s move and remained committed to the independence of anti-corruption agencies, he was compelled to intervene because the development could create the impression that federal institutions were being deployed to influence the forthcoming election.
The President disclosed that the EFCC had secured the court order on August 5, 2026, but stressed that while the agency was acting within its statutory mandate, the timing of the action was “inauspicious” and politically sensitive.
Tinubu said he had consistently refrained from interfering in the operations of the EFCC and other law enforcement agencies since assuming office, insisting that democratic institutions must be allowed to function independently, professionally and without political interference.
He noted that every action taken by a federal institution was often attributed to the Presidency, making it necessary for him to act in the overriding public interest to protect the integrity, credibility and fairness of Nigeria’s democratic process.
The President said he was yet to receive a full briefing on the circumstances that informed the EFCC’s decision to obtain the freezing order but maintained that no action capable of raising doubts about the neutrality of federal agencies should be taken so close to an election.
He consequently directed the anti-graft agency to return to court without delay to vacate the order and discontinue all legal actions relating to the freezing of the Osun State Government’s accounts.
The directive comes as political activities intensify ahead of the Osun State governorship election, with attention expected to shift to the EFCC’s next steps in complying with the presidential order.
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