Tinubu Calls Adeleke, Confirms Directive To Unfreeze Osun Govt Account

President Bola Tinubu has informed Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of his directive to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to lift the court order freezing the state government’s account.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a post on his official X handle on Thursday.

According to Onanuga, Tinubu conveyed the decision to Adeleke during a telephone conversation, following the President’s earlier directive ordering the EFCC to return to court and vacate the order restricting access to the Osun State Government account.

“President Tinubu in a phone conversation with Governor Ademola Adeleke on Thursday informed him about his directive to the EFCC to lift the court order on the Osun State Government account,” Onanuga wrote.

THN had earlier reported that President Tinubu directed the anti-graft agency to discontinue the action against the Osun State Government, citing concerns over the timing of the move ahead of the state’s governorship election.

Tinubu had said that although the EFCC acted within its statutory powers by obtaining a court order, the timing of the action could create the impression of interference by federal institutions in the electoral process.

The President explained that his decision was based on the need to preserve public confidence in the integrity and credibility of the democratic process.

The EFCC had obtained a court order on August 5, 2026, freezing the state government’s account as part of an investigation into the alleged handling of public funds. The commission had said the action was linked to a probe into the alleged movement of funds from the account.

Tinubu’s statement reads: “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. 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.

“Since assuming office, 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. I have therefore deliberately refrained from 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, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law.

“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.

“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.

“Accordingly, I have 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. ”

Governor Adeleke had earlier condemned the restriction on the account, describing it as an attempt to hinder the operations of the state government.