Residents of Osun State have reacted to President Bola Tinubu’s Thursday directive to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to return to court and vacate the order freezing the state government’s account.
The directive came less than two weeks before the August 15 Osun State governorship election.
The EFCC had restricted access to one of the state government’s statutory allocation accounts as part of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities.
Tinubu, in a statement issued by the State House, said he became aware that the EFCC had obtained a court order on August 5, 2026, freezing the Osun State Government’s accounts.
The President in the statement said he was “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”, given the proximity of the governorship election.
According to him, “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 subsequently 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”.
The President also stressed that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to perform their statutory responsibilities independently and professionally, without political interference.
He said, “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.”
The development has generated reactions across Osun, with residents focusing largely on the possible effect of the account restriction on the payment of salaries, public services and other government obligations.
A trader, Tajudeen Babatunde said the development was untimely and could be viewed as part of the witch-hunt which Governor Ademola Adeleke has been alleging as part of campaign to illegally unseat him.
He disclosed that the President’s intervention was timely but added that some damage had already been done which may have effect on the nation’s electoral integrity.
The issue has attracted particular attention among civil servants because the account reportedly affected is the state’s statutory allocation account, with the state government previously challenging the restriction in court.
A civil servant, Tayo Adeyinka, said the action at this time was uncalled for.
“The EFCC action is uncalled for. Why freeze a state government account at this time? EFCC should know that the action will affect civil servants and to a generality a majority of Osun citizens,” he said.
The Osun State Government had filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja against the EFCC, seeking N2 billion in exemplary and aggravated damages over the account restriction.
Governor Ademola Adeleke, the state Attorney-General and the Accountant-General were listed as plaintiffs, while the EFCC, its chairman and First Bank Nigeria Limited were named as defendants in the suit.
The EFCC had maintained that its action was connected to an ongoing investigation involving alleged suspicious transactions and the handling of about N11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee funds.
The commission said the investigation began in March.
The commission also said it had not frozen all the state’s accounts but had placed a temporary restriction on one statutory account after detecting what it described as suspicious transactions.
A student, Ayobami Adenike, said the move by the anti-graft commission was badly timed.
She said, “even a blind man can see that the aim is to invest Governor Ademola Adeleke. I don’t know what he done to them but we all know who the target is.
“The governor had been working but they should allow the people to decide who they want as governor. Osun people should be left alone to vote in a free and fair contest.”
Another resident, however, stated that the EFCC move was part of coordinated attack on the people of Osun State.
“I was surprised by that action because the EFCC action is a direct assault on Osun State. It is good that the president stepped in on time to resolve the impasse. It is really a slap on President Bola Tinubu,” he stated.
For residents of Osun, attention is now focused on the implementation of the presidential directive and whether the EFCC will return to court to vacate the reported order, as directed by the President.
The development comes as political parties intensify preparations for the August 15 governorship election, with stakeholders continuing to call for a peaceful, credible and transparent electoral process.
