President Bola Tinubu personally called Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke on Thursday, mere minutes after directing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate the court order freezing the state government’s account. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga announced the phone conversation on X, stating that Tinubu informed Adeleke about his directive to lift the order.
The EFCC had frozen the Osun government’s salary account at First Bank on Wednesday over alleged suspicious transactions. However, Tinubu, in a personally signed statement, said he felt “deeply embarrassed” by the timing of the action, just days before the August 15 governorship election. The President emphasized that while he supports the EFCC’s operational independence, the timing could create the impression of federal interference in the electoral process.
Tinubu directed the EFCC to immediately return to court to vacate the order and discontinue all actions against the Osun government. The phone call to Adeleke is seen as a strategic move to de-escalate political tensions ahead of the polls, where Adeleke’s Accord Party faces Tinubu’s APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.