President Bola Tinubu on Thursday said he was “deeply embarrassed” by the Ola Olukoyede-led Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s freezing of the Osun government’s statutory allocation accountdays before the state’s governorship election on August 15.

Mr Tinubu in a statement signed by him said that the anti-graft agency’s action was ill-timed, adding that he was particularly embarrassed because decisions made by federal institutions were attributed to him as the president.

“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,” Mr Tinubu said.

He added, “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.”

The EFCC, in a letter dated August 5, asked First Bank Plc to place a “Post-no-Debit” on the state government’s account, claiming that the request was made “to save public funds from being looted.”

“The commission cannot watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged,” the EFCC made the clarification in a statement hours after freezing the account, adding that the state government had been under investigation since March 2026 for the “fraudulent handling” of the state’s financial resources.

However, Mr Tinubu said that even though he had yet to be briefed on the situations that warranted the court order, its timing, days before the election, was inauspicious.

“Osun State is only a few days away from its gubernatorial election,” he said. “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 ordered the EFCC to vacate the court order freezing the account, citing the need to intervene to protect Nigerians’ interest and trust in the “credibility and fairness” of the 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,” he said.

The president maintained that since assuming office, he had “deliberately refrained” from interfering in the operations of anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies because he believes they must function within the law and were critical to good governance and the rule of law.

“As president, I am committed to allowing institutions of state to function and take any action they consider necessary in the interest of proper governance without the need for any prior approval,” he added.

The EFCC’s decision generated condemnation from the state government, opposition parties, lawyers, and political analysts, who argued that federal agencies were being used by the Tinubu-led government to frustrate the opposition.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) also slammed the EFCC, alleging that the agency’s action was targeted at the opposition ahead of the state’s governorship election.

Also, spokesman for the Lawyers In Defence of Democracy Initiative, Joseph Aliu, criticised First Bank and the EFCC for freezing the account.

Mr Aliu referenced Section 34(1) of the EFCC Act, 2004, and said the agency lacked the constitutional power to direct a bank to restrict an account, adding that due process must be strictly followed.

Faulting the anti-graft commission’s action, a civil society organisation, the Civil Liberties Organisation, said Mr Tinubu and the APC were “using their power, at all costs, to suppress the Accord Party.”

Meanwhile, the Osun State government has headed to court to challenge the freezing of its account.