President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to immediately vacate the court order freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government, saying the timing of the action is “inauspicious” with the state’s governorship election days away.
In a Statehouse statement issued Thursday, August 6, 2026, the President said he was “deeply embarrassed” not by the EFCC’s mandate but by the timing, noting that actions of federal institutions are often credited to him even without his prior knowledge.
“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,” Tinubu stated.
The President reaffirmed his administration’s policy of non-interference in anti-graft agencies, saying he has “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.”
“Since assuming office, I have 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 said.
However, Tinubu said he was compelled to intervene in this instance to protect public confidence in 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,” the President stated.
“I am duty-bound to issue a directive on this issue in consonance with the overriding public interest in preserving public confidence and the integrity, credibility, and fairness of our democratic process.”
“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,” Tinubu said.
While noting he was yet to be “fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of EFCC,” the President said strong institutions must still act in ways that do not undermine democracy.
The statement was signed “PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU (GCFR)” and released from the Statehouse, Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Osun State is expected to hold its gubernatorial election later this month. Political parties in the state have been raising concerns about federal influence in the poll.
