Tinubu orders EFCC to unfreeze Osun government account

ABUJA — President Bola Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to lift its restriction on an Osun State Government bank account, saying the decision came at an inappropriate time with the state’s governorship election only days away.

Tinubu’s intervention came Thursday, barely 24 hours after the EFCC restricted the account amid an investigation into the alleged diversion of about N11 billion in ecology funds, social intervention funds and federal allocations.

The President, in a statement he personally signed, said he was not questioning the anti-graft agency’s legal mandate but was concerned about the political sensitivity of enforcing the restriction so close to the August 15 election.

“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. 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,” Tinubu said.

The President maintained that his administration does not interfere with the operations of the EFCC or other investigative bodies.

But with Osun voters preparing to choose their governor, he said the circumstances demanded intervention to prevent the appearance of federal interference 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.”

Tinubu said his directive was therefore motivated by what he described as the broader public interest in protecting confidence in Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

“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 added.

EFCC cites alleged N11bn fund diversion

The EFCC had restricted the account on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the alleged fraudulent handling of funds belonging to Osun State.

According to the commission, the funds under scrutiny include approximately N11 billion in ecology funds, social intervention funds and federal allocations.

The agency said the restriction was intended to prevent the suspected movement of public funds into other accounts considered suspicious while investigators continued their work.

The action triggered an immediate political controversy because of its timing.

The account restriction came roughly 10 days before the August 15 governorship election, in which Governor Ademola Adeleke is seeking another term.

The Osun State Government had earlier alleged that the EFCC was preparing to freeze its accounts and those of senior officials, describing such a move as an attempt to cripple government operations before the poll.

The EFCC subsequently defended its decision, including its action to restrict the account without first obtaining a court order.

Tinubu’s directive now shifts the dispute to a different level.

While the President stressed that the EFCC must remain free to investigate alleged financial crimes, he made clear that the timing of actions by federal institutions can have consequences beyond the investigations themselves—particularly when they occur in the final days of an election.

The immediate question is how the EFCC will proceed with its investigation after the President’s directive and whether lifting the restriction will affect the commission’s inquiry into the alleged N11 billion transactions.

For Tinubu, however, the priority is clear: the fight against financial crime must not create the perception that federal institutions are being deployed to influence the outcome of an election.