President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately approach the court and vacate its order restricting the Osun State Government’s bank accounts.
​The presidential intervention comes amidst heightened political tension across Osun State, occurring just days before the scheduled August 15, 2026, governorship election.
The EFCC requested a Post-No-Debit (PND) restriction on state government accounts, including primary salary accounts at First Bank, citing an ongoing ₦11 billion fraud investigation involving ecology and FAAC allocations.
Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, condemned the freeze as an “economic blockade” designed to disrupt state administration ahead of the election.
President Tinubu released an official statement directly from the State House, Abuja, on Thursday evening, directing the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, and the anti-graft agency’s leadership to halt legal proceedings regarding the state’s operational funds.
​Addressing media correspondents at the State House on Thursday, President Tinubu underscored the necessity of safeguarding public faith in the electoral process:
​”While I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of the EFCC in approaching the court, I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action is inauspicious.”
​”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 influence the electoral outcome.”
​Following the directive, the EFCC is expected to file urgent court papers in Abuja to discharge the restriction and restore full operational access to the state’s financial domain before the weekend.
