Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately seek to vacate a court order freezing the accounts of Osun State Government, citing concerns about interference in an upcoming gubernatorial election.
In a statement issued from the Statehouse on Thursday, Tinubu said he was “deeply embarrassed” by the timing of the EFCC’s action, which was taken on Aug. 5, just days before the Osun governorship poll.
“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 said.
“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.”
Tinubu said that while he has maintained a policy of non-interference to allow anti-corruption agencies to operate independently, he was “compelled to intervene” in the public interest.
“I have 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,” he said.
“While I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of EFCC… I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious.”
The President said he was “duty-bound” to act “in consonance with the overriding public interest in preserving public confidence and the integrity, credibility, and fairness of our democratic process.”
Tinubu accordingly 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 EFCC had not issued a public statement on the court order or the President’s directive as of Thursday evening.
The move is likely to spark debate over the balance between institutional independence and political oversight in Nigeria’s fight against corruption.
Osun State will hold its gubernatorial election in the coming days. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not announced any postponement.