) President Bola Tinubu has directed Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate the court order freezing the accounts of Osun Government.
Tinubu gave the directive in a statement personally issued by him on Thursday in Abuja.
The president said he became aware of the commission obtaining a court order on Aug. 5 freezing the state government’s accounts.
He said he felt deeply embarrassed by the timing of the action, though not by the commission’s exercise of its statutory mandate backed by a court order.
Tinubu stated that actions taken by federal institutions were often attributed to him, whether or not he had prior knowledge of those actions.
He reiterated his commitment to the independence of anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies.
“Since assuming office, I have consistently maintained that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to discharge their statutory responsibilities independently, professionally, without fear or favour, or political interference,” he said.
The president said that he had deliberately refrained from interfering in the operational activities of EFCC and other investigative agencies.
According to him, strong democratic institutions operating within the law remain essential for good governance and the rule of law.
“As president, I am committed to allowing institutions of state to function and take any action they consider necessary in the interest of proper governance without the need for any prior approval,” he stated.
Tinubu, however, said he had yet to be fully briefed on the circumstances that informed the EFCC’s decision to seek the court order.
“I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious, and therefore, I feel compelled to intervene,” he said.
The president noted that Osun is only days away from its governorship election, stressing that no action should create the impression that EFCC or any federal agency was being used to influence 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,” he said.
The president said preserving public confidence in the integrity, credibility and fairness of the democratic process remained paramount.
“Accordingly, I have directed the EFCC to immediately proceed to the court to vacate the order and discontinue whatever action it has instituted against the Osun State Government in this regard,” he said.
Tinubu reaffirmed his commitment to democratic principles and the rule of law.(NAN)
