Tinubu Orders EFCC to Vacate Court Order Freezing Osun Government Account
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to immediately approach the court to vacate the order freezing the Osun State Government’s account.
The directive followed controversy over the decision by the anti-graft agency to freeze the state government’s account domiciled in First Bank, just ten days before the Osun State governorship election.
The development sparked criticism from concerned Nigerians and opposition figures, who alleged that federal government institutions were being deployed to frustrate Governor Ademola Adeleke’s bid for re-election.
President Tinubu has now ordered the EFCC to reverse the action and discontinue any proceedings it may have initiated against the Osun State Government in connection with the matter.
In a statement titled ‘President Tinubu Directs EFCC To Vacate The Court Order Freezing Osun Government Account’, issued by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, the President said he was “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”.
Tinubu explained that his concern was also linked to the perception that actions taken by federal institutions are automatically associated with the President, whether or not he had prior knowledge of them.
He said he felt embarrassed “because every action taken by an institution of state, especially at the federal level, is always credited to him as the President, even when he may not have had any prior knowledge of the action.
“Since assuming office, I have consistently maintained that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to discharge their statutory responsibilities independently, professionally, without fear or favour, or political interference.
“I have therefore deliberately refrained from directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative or prosecutorial agency because I firmly believe that strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic 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. Indeed, that is why institutions are set up by law with clearly defined powers.
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“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,” Tinubu said in the statement.
The President’s directive effectively seeks to halt the EFCC’s action against the Osun State Government, following the controversy generated by the timing of the account freeze ahead of the governorship election.
