ADC Demands Tinubu Disclose Court Order Behind Osun Accounts Freeze

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to disclose the court order he claims authorised the freezing of Osun State Government’s accounts, insisting his recent press statement on the matter raises more questions than it answers.

In a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said it welcomed Tinubu’s directive reversing the EFCC’s freeze on the accounts but described the president’s reference to a court order as “a remarkable new twist” that had never previously been mentioned by the anti-graft agency.

“In all of its public statements on this matter, the EFCC never once claimed that it had obtained a court order,” the ADC said, noting that the Commission had instead defended its action on the basis of its statutory powers and what it called a “preventive mandate.”

The party pointed out that the EFCC maintained this position even when its spokesperson appeared on Arise Television on Thursday morning, without any mention of judicial backing for the freeze. This, the ADC argued, made the president’s claim all the more puzzling.

“The obvious question, therefore, is: where did the president obtain the information that a court order existed?” the party asked, adding that if such an order genuinely exists, the EFCC’s silence on it is inexplicable – and if it does not, the president’s decision to introduce it into the public narrative is troubling.

“It is either the President was misinformed or he had chosen to misrepresent the facts. Either possibility is deeply disturbing,” the statement said.

The ADC also flagged what it called a contradiction in the president’s position on agency independence. While Tinubu has consistently claimed he does not interfere in the operations of anti-corruption bodies, the party noted that he personally announced directing the EFCC to approach the court, vacate the alleged order and discontinue the case altogether.

“If the President possesses the authority to direct the EFCC to withdraw from court proceedings… then it follows that he possesses the authority to direct the Commission in other operational matters as well,” the ADC said, arguing that the claim of institutional independence “collapses under the weight of the President’s own statement.”

Rather than proving restraint, the party said, the presidency’s attempt at distancing itself “achieved precisely the opposite,” exposing how the presidency can intervene in agency decisions whenever political considerations demand it.

The ADC further questioned the format of the president’s statement, noting it was issued as a personal communication signed directly by Tinubu rather than through the presidency’s official channels – a break from convention it described as “quite unusual.”

The party suggested that if the president’s only goal was to get the EFCC to reverse course, he could simply have instructed the agency privately instead of issuing a statement under his own name.

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

The party insisted the reversal was not driven by any newfound concern for democratic principles, but by overwhelming public condemnation from Nigerians, civil society and political parties who viewed the account freeze as “an extraordinary abuse of state power meant to influence the outcome of the governorship election.”

The party suggested that having shown he can direct federal agencies to drop proceedings in the name of public interest, Tinubu might also consider instructing the ICPC and its counsel to stop opposing the bail application of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.