President Bola Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately approach the court to vacate the order freezing the bank accounts of the Osun State Government, saying the timing of the action could undermine public confidence in the forthcoming governorship election.
The President’s directive comes days after the anti-graft agency announced that it had frozen the state’s accounts as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged diversion of about ₦11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations.
The EFCC had maintained that the restriction was necessary to halt what it described as suspicious movements of public funds.
In a statement by the Presidency, Tinubu said he was “deeply embarrassed” by the timing of the EFCC’s action, stressing that although the Commission acted pursuant to a court order and within its investigative mandate, every action taken by a federal institution is ultimately perceived by Nigerians as reflecting the position of the President.
“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 statement said.
President Tinubu reaffirmed his longstanding commitment to the operational independence of anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies, noting that he has consistently refrained from interfering in the activities of the EFCC and other investigative bodies.
According to him, the independence of such institutions remains critical to Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts and the rule of law.
However, the President said the timing of the freezing order was “inauspicious,” given that Osun State is only days away from its governorship election, adding that no action should create the impression that any federal agency is being deployed to influence the electoral process.
“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 stated.
Consequently, the President directed the EFCC to immediately take the necessary legal steps to vacate the court order freezing the state’s accounts and discontinue all related enforcement actions linked to the restriction.
The directive is expected to ease political tensions ahead of the Osun governorship election, as stakeholders have continued to call for a level playing field and strict neutrality by federal institutions during the electoral process.
