President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to return to court immediately and remove the ruling freezing the accounts of the Osun State government.
The state was just days away from its governorship race and the decision was needed to safeguard public confidence in the democratic process, the president stated, reports The PUNCH.
Tinubu, in a statement released by the State House today, said he was not against the EFCC exercising its statutory rights but raised concern over the timing of the action.
I have been informed that on August 5, 2026, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) got a court order freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government.
“I must confess that I am very embarrassed, not by the exercise of the mandate of the EFCC, which has a court order, but the timing of the agency’s action,” the President stated.
The EFCC, it was gathered, had secured the order in the course of its investigation into alleged financial violations committed by the Osun State administration.
The Commission had previously justified the move, saying its actions were legal and that it had the ability to ban accounts suspected of links to financial crimes.
The anti-graft agency also said it could freeze accounts for 72 hours without a court order and then apply for judicial approval for further limitations.
But Tinubu said decisions conducted by federal institutions were often attributed to him as President, whether he had prior knowledge or not. Politics
“This is so because whatever an institution of State does especially at the Federal level is always credited to me, the President, even when I may not have had any prior knowledge of the action,” he added.
He said he has always held since taking office that anti-corruption and law enforcement authorities should work independently without intervention.
“From the day I assumed office, I have always been of the view, that the anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to do their statutory duties independently, professionally, without fear or favour, or political interference,” Tinubu stated.
“I have deliberately avoided direction or interference in the operational activities of the EFCC or other investigative agencies because of my belief in a strong democratic institutions,” he said.
“I have deliberately avoided directing or interfering with the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative or prosecutorial agency because I strongly believe that strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are vital for democratic good governance and the rule of law,” he stated.
While he was not fully briefed on the facts that led to the EFCC’s decision to approach the court for the injunction, Tinubu said the timing of the move made it imperative for him to intervene. Political Science
“Although I have not been fully briefed on the facts that informed the action of the EFCC in approaching the court to obtain the said order freezing the Osun State Government account, I have no doubt whatsoever that the timing of the action of the EFCC is inauspicious and I therefore feel compelled to intervene,” the President said.
The closeness of the election underlined the need not to do anything to undermine confidence in the voting process, he said.
With days to go before the Osun State gubernatorial election. “Therefore, nothing should be done to create the impression that the EFCC or indeed any other agency of the federal government is being used to interfere with the election,” Tinubu added.
The president said he made the order in the highest public interest and to protect the integrity of the democratic process.
He said: “On this premise, I have a duty to issue a directive on this issue in accordance with the paramount public interest of safeguarding public confidence and the integrity, the credibility and the fairness of our democratic process.”
Tinubu then instructed the panel to cease action against the state administration. politics
“I have therefore directed the EFCC to immediately go 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 development came shortly after a dispute ensued between the Osun State Government and the EFCC over the freezing of the state’s accounts.
The state government had disputed the Commission’s claims of financial impropriety, disputing allegations of embezzlement of N11bn and accusing the EFCC of trying to justify its action.
The EFCC had said it was not politically motivated and that it was its duty to investigate and punish suspected cases of financial crimes.
The president’s decision came ahead of the Osun governorship election, which has raised the bar on activities by government institutions and their impact on the electoral process. Campaigns and Elections
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