President Bola Tinubu has reportedly phoned Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, over the freezing of the state’s bank account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), informing him that he had directed the anti-graft agency to vacate the order restricting access to the account.

The development was disclosed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, shortly after Tinubu publicly ordered the EFCC to immediately return to court and withdraw the order freezing the Osun State Government’s account.

Onanuga, however, did not disclose details of the telephone conversation.

“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,” the presidential aide wrote.

Earlier in a personally signed statement, Tinubu described the timing of the EFCC’s action as unfortunate, stressing that the state was only days away from its governorship election.

The President said while he was not opposed to the commission exercising its statutory powers, the timing of the account freeze risked creating the impression that federal institutions were being used to influence the electoral process.

“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,” Tinubu stated.

He noted that actions taken by federal institutions were often attributed to him as President, regardless of whether he had prior knowledge of such decisions.

“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,” he said.

Tinubu reiterated that since assuming office, he had deliberately refrained from interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC and other law enforcement agencies, insisting that independent institutions remained vital to democratic governance and the rule of law.

He, however, said the circumstances surrounding the Osun account freeze warranted presidential intervention.

“While I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of EFCC in approaching the court to obtain the said order freezing the Osun State Government account, I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious, and therefore I feel compelled to intervene,” he said.

The President warned that with the Osun governorship election only days away, no action should create the impression that the Federal Government was attempting to influence the outcome of the poll.

“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,” he added.

Consequently, Tinubu directed the anti-graft agency to immediately approach the court to vacate the freezing order and discontinue all actions instituted against the Osun State Government in relation to the account restriction.

On Wednesday, the commission defended the restriction placed on the state’s First Bank account, saying it was necessary to prevent the alleged diversion of about N11 billion under investigation.

According to the agency, the probe, which commenced in March 2026, centres on the alleged fraudulent management of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations. The EFCC also disclosed that several state officials, including the Accountant General, had been questioned in connection with the investigation.

The commission had maintained that its actions were lawful and within its powers, adding that it could place a temporary 72-hour restriction on accounts suspected to be linked to financial crimes before obtaining a court order for an extended freeze.