President Tinubu Orders EFCC to Unfreeze Osun State Bank Accounts Amid Political Backlash

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately vacate a court order freezing the bank accounts of the Osun State Government. The EFCC had previously frozen the accounts as part of an investigation into the alleged fraudulent handling of funds, noting that large transfers to corporate entities had occurred since August 2. The state government described the EFCC's actions as illegal and politically motivated.

The directive from the president sparked different reactions from political entities. The Accord Party commended the intervention for preventing lawlessness but called for the resignation of EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede. The party argued that the agency violated the 1999 constitution and brought the nation into disrepute. Additionally, the Accord Party requested the release of 60 of its members currently detained in Abuja, Osun, and Nasarawa states.

Conversely, the House of Representatives Minority Caucus accused President Tinubu of using federal agencies to intimidate the Osun State Government ahead of the upcoming governorship election. The lawmakers described the president's directive to unfreeze the accounts as a belated afterthought prompted by public criticism. They pointed to contradictions between the EFCC's claim that the accounts were frozen without a valid court order and the president's instruction to vacate a court order.

The minority caucus further alleged a broader campaign of intimidation against the state, including the withholding of statutory allocations for local government councils and persistent violence involving members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).