President Bola Ahmed 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 and discontinue all related actions.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the President said he was “deeply embarrassed” by the timing of the development, stressing that while the EFCC acted within its legal mandate by obtaining a court order, although the action created an unfortunate public perception.
According to him, every action taken by a federal institution is often attributed to the President, regardless of whether he had prior knowledge or involvement.
“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 read.
Tinubu reinforced his commitment to preserving the operational independence of anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies.
He also noted that he has consistently refrained from interfering in the activities of the EFCC and other investigative bodies.
The President, however, described the timing of the account freeze as “inauspicious,” coming just days before the Osun State governorship election.
He maintained that no action should create the impression that any federal agency is being deployed to influence or interfere with 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 said.
He therefore instructed the EFCC to take immediate legal steps to have the court order vacated and halt all related proceedings.
