The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the EFCC to unfreeze the Osun State government’s accounts, arguing it undermines the anti-corruption agency’s independence. According to the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, this intervention proves that the agency operates under the influence of the presidency.

The ADC argued that this move sets a dangerous precedent, proving that the agency’s investigations are subject to the whims of the executive branch rather than the rule of law. Abdullahi stated that such actions demonstrate that the presidency can manipulate anti-corruption efforts based on political considerations, thereby weakening public trust in the EFCC’s impartiality.

The party wondered why President Tinubu could personally issue the statement on such matter, adding that if all that the president wanted to achieve was to get the EFCC to reverse itself, he would simply tell the commission to do so instead of issuing a press statement.

“This solo performance by the president actually exposes more than it was intended to conceal.

“This is quite unusual, and it raises the question of why the president feels the need to personally sign a press statement on a matter such as this?” ADC asked.

The party said it is not Tinubu’s concern for democratic integrity that made him issue the directive but “the overwhelming condemnation from Nigerians, civil society, political parties, and the wider public who recognised the account freezing for what it was: an extraordinary abuse of state power meant to influence the outcome of the governorship election.”

“This is a remarkable new twist ” ADC stated, stating that in all of its public statements on this matter, the EFCC never claimed that it had obtained a court order.

“The commission consistently defended its actions on the basis of its statutory powers and what it described as ‘preventive mandate.’