Residents React as Tinubu Directs EFCC to Lift Freeze on Osun State Accounts
Osun State residents have reacted to President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday to go back to court and vacate the order freezing the state government’s account.
The directive came less than two weeks to the August 15 Osun State governorship election.
The EFCC had blocked access to one of the state government’s statutory allocation accounts in an investigation of alleged financial improprieties.
Tinubu, in a statement issued by the State House, said he had learnt that the EFCC had on August 5, 2026, obtained a court order freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government.
The President said in the statement that he was “deeply embarrassed not by the exercise of the mandate by the EFCC backed by a court order, but by the timing of the action by the agency”, because of the closeness of the governorship election.
He said, “Osun State is just a few days to its gubernatorial election. “Therefore, nothing should be done to give the impression that the EFCC or any other agency of the Federal Government is being used to interfere with the election.
The EFCC was later directed by Tinubu 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 President also called for the space and independence to be given to anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies to perform their statutory functions professionally without political interference.
“I have therefore consciously avoided 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, working within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law,” he said.
The development has generated reactions across Osun with residents centering largely on the possible impact of the account restriction on payment of salaries, public services and other government obligations.
A trader, Tajudeen Babatunde, said the development was untimely and could be seen as part of the witch-hunt which Governor Ademola Adeleke has been alleging as part of campaign to illegally unseat him.
He said the President’s intervention came at a time but some damage had been done that may affect the electoral integrity of the nation.
The issue has drawn more attention from civil servants as the account said to have been affected is the state’s statutory allocation account which the state government had earlier challenged the restriction on in court.
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Civil servant Tayo Adeyinka said the action was unnecessary at this time.
“The EFCC action is not necessary. Why, at this time, freeze a state government account? “The EFCC should be aware that the action will affect civil servants and to a generality a majority of the citizens of Osun,” he said.
The Osun State Government had dragged the EFCC before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking N2 billion in exemplary and aggravated damages for the restriction of the account.
The plaintiffs were identified as Governor Ademola Adeleke, the state Attorney-General and the Accountant-General while the defendants were the EFCC, its chairman and First Bank Nigeria Limited in the suit.
The EFCC had insisted that its action was linked to an ongoing investigation into alleged suspicious transactions and the management of some N11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee funds.
The probe was launched in March, the commission said.
The commission said it had not frozen all of the state’s accounts, but had placed a temporary restriction on one statutory account after noticing what it described as suspicious transactions.
“The timing of the anti-graft commission’s move was bad,” said a student, Ayobami Adenike.
“The goal is to invest Governor Ademola Adeleke, even a blind man can see that. I don’t know what he did to them but we all know who the target is.
“The governor had been working but they should let the people decide who they want as governor. “Osun people should be allowed to vote in a free and fair contest.
“But, another resident said the EFCC move was part of a coordinated attack on the people of Osun State.
I was surprised with that action because EFCC action is a direct attack on Osun state. Luckily the president was able to intervene in time and break the deadlock. “It is really a slap on President Bola Tinubu,” he said.
Now, the attention shifts to the implementation of the presidential directive for Osun residents and whether the EFCC would return to court to vacate the reported order as directed by the President.
The development comes as political parties are stepping up preparations for the August 15 governorship election with interested parties calling for a peaceful, credible and transparent electoral process.
