By President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to return to court to vacate the order it obtained freezing the Osun State Government’s account, citing the proximity of the state’s August 15 governorship election.
According to a statement issued by the President from Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, and dated August 6, 2026, Tinubu said it had come to his notice that the EFCC obtained a court order on August 5, 2026, freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government. According to the statement, the President said he was not troubled by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate under a court order, but by the timing of the action, noting that actions taken by federal institutions are often credited to him as President even without his prior knowledge.
According to Tinubu, he has consistently held that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to carry out their statutory responsibilities independently and professionally, free of political interference, and said he has deliberately avoided directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or other investigative and prosecutorial agencies since assuming office. He said this position rests on his belief that strong democratic institutions operating within the law are essential to good governance and the rule of law.
According to the statement, the President said he remained committed to allowing state institutions to act within their legally defined powers without requiring prior approval, and acknowledged that he was yet to be fully briefed on the facts behind the EFCC’s decision to seek the court order. He said he had no doubt, however, that the timing of the action was inauspicious given that Osun State is only days away from its governorship election, and stated that nothing should be done to create an impression that the EFCC or any other federal agency is being used to interfere with the poll.
According to Tinubu, it was on this basis that he felt compelled to intervene in the interest of preserving public confidence in the integrity, credibility and fairness of Nigeria’s democratic process. He said he has accordingly directed the EFCC to immediately proceed to court to vacate the order and discontinue whatever action it has instituted against the Osun State Government in this regard.
The directive marks a significant intervention by the presidency in a matter that had, in the days before, drawn sharp reactions from the Osun State Government, opposition political parties, and members of the legal community, several of whom had questioned the legality of the EFCC’s action so close to the election.
