By Jelili Gbadamosi
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has challenged President Bola Tinubu to disclose the court order he claimed authorised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to freeze the Osun State Government’s bank accounts.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party welcomed the President’s directive ordering the EFCC to reverse the action but questioned the legal basis of his explanation.
According to the ADC, the EFCC had consistently maintained that it froze the accounts under its statutory powers and preventive mandate, without citing any court order.
“It is either the President was misinformed or he had chosen to misrepresent the facts. Either possibility is deeply disturbing,” the party said.
The ADC further argued that President Tinubu’s admission that he instructed the anti-graft agency to withdraw from the matter undermined repeated claims that the EFCC operates independently of the executive arm of government.
“If the President possesses the authority to direct the EFCC to withdraw from court proceedings because the political consequences may affect an election, then it follows that he possesses the authority to direct the Commission in other operational matters as well,” the statement added.
The party also described the President’s personally signed statement on the controversy as unusual, saying it raised questions about why the intervention did not come through the appropriate government institutions.
The ADC maintained that the EFCC’s decision to reverse the account freeze followed sustained public criticism from Nigerians, civil society organisations and opposition parties rather than a voluntary commitment to democratic principles.
It also called on the President to direct the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to withdraw its opposition to the bail application of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai if he could intervene in the EFCC matter.
The controversy followed President Tinubu’s directive to the EFCC to lift the restriction placed on Osun State Government accounts after concerns that the action could affect governance and the state’s forthcoming local government elections.
