Osun Polls: Jubilation in Osogbo as Tinubu Orders Unfreezing of State Accounts, Says EFCC Timing ‘Embarrassing’

‘By Arit Mbeh

There was jubilation across Osogbo on Thursday after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately return to court and vacate the order freezing the bank accounts of the Osun State Government.

The President also instructed the anti-graft agency to discontinue every action it had initiated against the state in relation to the freezing of the accounts, saying the timing of the move, barely days before the August 15 governorship election, could undermine public confidence in the credibility of the electoral process.

In a personally signed statement issued on Thursday, Tinubu said he was “deeply embarrassed” by the timing of the EFCC’s action, although he acknowledged that the commission acted pursuant to a valid court order obtained on August 5, 2026.

“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 stated.

Tinubu reiterated that since assuming office, he had consistently maintained that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to carry out their constitutional responsibilities independently, professionally and without fear or favour.

According to him, he had deliberately refrained from interfering in the operations of the EFCC and other investigative and prosecutorial agencies because democratic institutions must function within the confines of the law to strengthen the rule of law.

However, the President said he had not been fully briefed on the facts that informed the EFCC’s application for the freezing order but stressed that the timing of the action was “inauspicious.”

With the Osun governorship election just days away, Tinubu warned that nothing should be done to create the impression that the Federal Government or any of its agencies was being used to influence the electoral process.

“Based on the foregoing premise, 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,” he said.

The President consequently ordered the EFCC to immediately approach the court to vacate the order freezing the Osun State Government’s accounts and terminate all related proceedings against the state.

Tinubu emphasized that his directive was issued solely in the overriding public interest and to safeguard the integrity, credibility and fairness of Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the crucial governorship election in Osun State.

The President’s intervention sparked celebrations in Osogbo, where supporters of the state government welcomed the development as a major relief, expressing optimism that the decision would ensure the smooth conduct of government activities, including salary payments, while helping to calm political tensions ahead of the August 15 poll.