President Bola Tinubu on Thursday expressed deep embarrassment over the timing of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s decision to freeze the Osun State Government’s bank accounts, saying the action risked undermining public confidence in the state’s governorship election.
The President, who stressed that he was not questioning the EFCC’s statutory powers, said the anti-graft agency’s move, coming just days before the election, created an unfortunate impression that federal institutions could be influencing the democratic process.
Consequently, Tinubu directed the EFCC to immediately return to court to vacate the order freezing the state’s accounts and discontinue the action against the Osun State Government.
“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 in a statement issued by the State House.
Tinubu noted that although he has consistently maintained a policy of non-interference in the operational activities of anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies, the circumstances surrounding the case required presidential intervention in the public interest.
He explained that actions taken by federal institutions are often perceived as having his endorsement, regardless of whether he was informed beforehand.
“This is so because every action taken by an institution of 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 stated.
The President reiterated that since assuming office, he had allowed agencies such as the EFCC to operate independently and professionally without political interference, stressing that strong democratic institutions remain essential to the rule of law and good governance.
“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 said.
However, Tinubu said he had not yet received a full briefing on the allegations that prompted the EFCC to obtain the court order but insisted that the proximity of the Osun governorship election made the timing of the action unacceptable.
“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,” he said.
On that basis, the President directed the anti-graft agency to discontinue the legal action against the 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 added.
The directive follows days of disagreement between the Osun State Government and the EFCC over the commission’s decision to freeze the state’s accounts as part of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities.
The EFCC had defended its action, insisting it acted within the law and had the authority to temporarily freeze accounts suspected of being connected to financial crimes before obtaining judicial approval for extended freezes.
The commission also maintained that its investigation was not politically motivated but was aimed solely at uncovering and prosecuting alleged financial offences.
The Osun State Government, however, rejected allegations that N11 billion had been misappropriated, accusing the commission of attempting to justify what it described as an unjustified freezing of the state’s accounts.
Tinubu’s intervention comes as political activities intensify ahead of the Osun governorship election, with the president emphasising that preserving the credibility, fairness and integrity of the democratic process must remain paramount.
