The African Democratic Congress (ADC) says President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate the court order freezing the Osun state government’s bank account has raised fresh questions about the anti-graft agency’s independence.
The opposition party also challenged the president to disclose the court order he said the EFCC had obtained, noting that the commission had consistently defended its action on the basis of its statutory powers and never publicly claimed to have secured judicial approval before Tinubu’s intervention.
The development follows Tinubu’s directive on Thursday ordering the EFCC to immediately return to court and vacate the order freezing the Osun government’s accounts, saying although the commission acted within its statutory powers, the timing of the action — days before the August 15 governorship election — was inappropriate.
The president said he felt “deeply embarrassed” by the development because actions of federal agencies are often attributed to
