The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has questioned President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) action against the Osun State Government, demanding clarification on the court order allegedly linked to the move.
The party, while welcoming the President’s directive halting the EFCC’s attempt to freeze the state government’s accounts, said Tinubu’s explanation raised fresh concerns about the independence of anti-corruption agencies and the circumstances surrounding the EFCC’s action.
In a statement on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the President’s reference to a court order was inconsistent with previous public statements by the EFCC.
“The President’s statement has raised far more troubling questions than it answers,” the party said.
According to the ADC, the EFCC had consistently defended its action by citing its statutory powers and preventive mandate but had never publicly disclosed that a court order authorised the restriction of the Osun accounts.
“In all of its public statements on this matter, the EFCC never once claimed that it had obtained a court order,” the party said.
The ADC therefore demanded to know where the President obtained information about the alleged order and why the EFCC did not disclose it while defending its action.
The party also pointed to an appearance by an EFCC spokesperson on Arise Television on Thursday, arguing that the official did not mention any such order while explaining the commission’s position.
“If such an order exists, why was it never mentioned by the EFCC in its statement?” the party asked.
“Why was it not mentioned by the EFCC spokesperson when he appeared on Arise Television on Thursday morning?”
The opposition party said the discrepancy raised questions over whether the President had been misinformed or whether the circumstances surrounding the EFCC action had been presented differently to the public.
“It is either the President was misinformed or he had chosen to misrepresent the facts. Either possibility is deeply disturbing,” the ADC said.
Beyond the alleged court order, the party questioned the President’s assertion that he does not interfere in the operational affairs of anti-corruption agencies.
The ADC argued that Tinubu’s reported directive to the EFCC to approach the court, vacate the alleged order and discontinue the proceedings appeared to demonstrate a degree of presidential influence over the commission’s operational decisions.
“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 party said.
The ADC said the development had therefore raised broader questions about the independence of Nigeria’s anti-corruption institutions.
“The carefully cultivated argument that these agencies operate entirely independently collapses under the weight of the President’s own statement,” it said.
The party, however, maintained that it welcomed the President’s decision to stop the EFCC’s action against the Osun State Government, stressing that the intervention should be accompanied by transparency on the alleged court order and the circumstances that led to the attempted freezing of the state’s accounts.
The ADC said the government must provide clear answers to the issues raised rather than allow the controversy to persist.