The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun implementing President Bola Tinubu’s directive to lift the restriction placed on an account belonging to the Osun State Government. Tinubu, in a personally signed statement issued on Thursday, ordered the anti-graft agency to withdraw the Post-No-Debit (PND) restriction, saying that while he supported the EFCC’s statutory mandate, the timing of the action—just days before the August 15 Osun governorship election—could create the wrong public perception.

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The EFCC had imposed the restriction on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the alleged fraudulent management of about ₦11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations. According to a senior EFCC official who spoke to Daily Trust on condition of anonymity, the commission has already written to First Bank, where the account is domiciled, instructing the bank to remove the restriction in compliance with the President’s directive.

The EFCC official, however, dismissed suggestions that the development undermined the commission’s independence, insisting that the agency remains free to carry out its constitutional responsibilities. “A letter has been sent to the banker to remove the PND restriction on the state government’s account following Mr President’s directive,” the official said, adding that the decision should not be interpreted as evidence that the EFCC lacks operational independence. The account had been placed under a Post-No-Debit order to prevent withdrawals while investigations continued.