President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to immediately seek the vacation of a court order freezing Osun State Government accounts.
In a statement he signed on Thursday, Tinubu said he was “deeply embarrassed” by the timing of the EFCC’s action, which came just days before the state’s governorship election.
The anti-graft agency obtained the freezing order on August 5. While stressing that he was not questioning the EFCC’s statutory powers or its right to seek judicial orders, Tinubu said the move risked undermining public confidence in the electoral process.
“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,” the president said.
He noted that any action by a federal institution is often perceived by the public as carrying presidential backing. Osun is only a few days away from its gubernatorial poll, he added, and “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.”
Tinubu said he had yet to be fully briefed on the circumstances that led to the court order. However, the need to preserve public trust in the integrity, credibility and fairness of the democratic process compelled him to intervene.
“Based on the foregoing premise, I am duty-bound to issue a directive on this issue in consonance with the overriding public interest,” he declared.
The president directed the EFCC to return to court at once, vacate the order and discontinue the related action against the Osun State Government.
Tinubu reiterated his longstanding position that anti-corruption and law-enforcement agencies must operate independently and without political interference. He said he had consistently refrained from directing their day-to-day operational activities, insisting that strong democratic institutions working within the law remain essential for good governance.
