President Bola Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate a court order freezing an account belonging to the Osun State Government.

In a statement he personally issued on Thursday, Tinubu said he feels “deeply embarrassed not by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate backed by a court order, but by the timing of the agency’s action.”

“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,” Tinubu said in the statement.

Tinubu said that the directive to vacate the court order became important because “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 president noted that since assuming office as president in May 2023, he has “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.”

“I have therefore deliberately refrained from directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative or prosecutorial agency because I firmly believe that strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law,” the president wrote.

Tinubu said while he is yet to get the full details about the matter, the “timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious,” and as such, he is compelled to intervene.

“Osun State is only a few days away from its gubernatorial election. Therefore, 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.

On Tuesday, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State said the EFCC froze one of the state’s accounts domiciled with a commercial bank.

Adeleke said the EFCC placed the account, which is used for the payment of workers’ salaries, on a “Post No Debit” status.

He also alleged that the anti-graft agency was preparing to freeze the accounts of some top government officials.

“All I ask is for the EFCC chairman to explain to the good people of Osun State and to Nigerians in general why he froze Osun State Government account and show proof to support whatever reason he presents. This and all other illegalities being visited on Osun are turning our democracy into a huge joke,” the governor said.

But the agency defended the move, claiming it noticed suspicious movement of funds from the account, prompting the decision to freeze it.

“The Commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved,” it said in a statement.

“The anti-corruption agency said the decision was in line with its mandate to protect public resources.

“The EFCC’s preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources. The Commission cannot watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged. While the Commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state.

The move generated debates among Nigerians, with opposition leaders describing it as targeted, especially with the Osun Governorship election days away.

However, the EFCC said it will be “uncharitable for the Commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms to perform its legally assigned functions”.