President Bola Tinubu on Thursday directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to immediately return to court and vacate the order freezing Osun State Government accounts.
The president said the timing of the action just days before the August 15 governorship election risked creating an impression of federal interference in the democratic process.
The EFCC had obtained a court order on August 5 freezing the accounts as part of an investigation into alleged fraudulent handling of about N11 billion in Ecology Funds Intervention Funds and Federation Account Allocation Committee allocations.
The commission said it noticed suspicious large transfers from the account which is used for workers salaries and acted to halt the movement of funds.
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and his government rejected the claims insisting there was no looting and describing the restriction as politically motivated ahead of the election in which Adeleke seeks reelection on the Accord Party platform against the All Progressives Congress.
In a personally signed statement Tinubu stated he was not opposed to the EFCC exercising its statutory powers but felt deeply embarrassed by the timing. He noted that every action by a federal institution is credited to the president even without prior knowledge.
Tinubu said he has always allowed anti corruption agencies to operate independently without interference because strong institutions are essential to good governance.
However with the gubernatorial election only a few days away he felt compelled to intervene in the overriding public interest of preserving confidence integrity credibility and fairness in the democratic process. He therefore directed the EFCC to discontinue the action against the Osun State Government.
Shortly after the directive Tinubu telephoned Governor Adeleke to personally inform him of the decision. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirmed the phone conversation.
Afrobeats star David Adeleke popularly known as Davido who is the governors nephew was present during the call and later posted that he was there live and witnessed history. Davido has been actively supporting his uncles reelection campaign.
Separately on August 5 during a livestream with comedian Carter Efe Davido warned that he would involve United States President Donald Trump if anything goes wrong in the Osun election.
He said he would tag Trump call him and if necessary go to the White House to demand a free and fair process emphasising that the people of Osun must be allowed to decide without interference. Some social media users linked the timing of Tinubus order to Davidos remarks though the presidents official statement cited only the election proximity and the need to avoid any appearance of agency interference.
The development has sparked widespread reactions. Opposition figures and some analysts questioned whether the presidential intervention undermines the independence of the EFCC while others welcomed it as necessary to protect electoral integrity.
The Osun State Government has also filed a N2 billion suit against the EFCC over the restriction. The governorship election is scheduled for August 15 with heightened security and calls from various stakeholders including Davido for a peaceful transparent process free of violence or intimidation.
