President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately seek the vacation of a court order freezing the bank accounts of the Osun State Government, saying the timing of the action could undermine public confidence in the state's forthcoming governorship election. In a statement issued from the State House on Thursday, the President said he became aware that the anti-graft agency had secured a court order on August 5 freezing the state's accounts. While stressing that he respected the EFCC's statutory independence and had consistently refrained from interfering in the operations of law enforcement agencies, Tinubu said the development left him "deeply embarrassed" because actions of federal institutions are often attributed to the Presidency. The President maintained that his administration remained committed to allowing anti-corruption agencies to discharge their constitutional responsibilities professionally and without political interference. However, he said the proximity of the EFCC's action to the Osun governorship election made the timing inappropriate. According to Tinubu, no action should create the impression that any federal agency is being used to influence or interfere in the electoral process. "I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of EFCC in approaching the court to obtain the said order... but I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious, and therefore I feel compelled to intervene," the statement said. Citing the need to preserve public confidence in the integrity, credibility and fairness of the democratic process, the President directed the EFCC to immediately return to court to vacate the freezing order and discontinue its action against the Osun State Government. The directive comes just days before Osun voters are expected to head to the polls to elect a new governor, a contest that has drawn heightened political attention.
