El-Rufai: Atiku Challenges Tinubu After Directing EFCC on Osun Account
- Atiku Abubakar said President Tinubu's intervention in the EFCC's freezing of Osun State's account destroyed claims that anti-corruption agencies operate independently
- The former Vice President pointed to a contradiction between Tinubu's denial of interference in the EFCC and his public directive for the Commission to reverse its action
- Atiku raised questions about who authorised the freezing of an opposition-controlled state's account days before a governorship election
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
FCT, Abuja - Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to use the same authority he exercised over the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to secure the release of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The Former Vice President stated this in response to Tinubu's public intervention in the EFCC's freezing of the Osun State Government's account.
Source: Facebook
Atiku's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, disclosed this in a statement issued and made available to Legit.ng on Thursday, August 6, 2026.
Atiku questions EFCC's account of events
Atiku said the President's statement had exposed contradictions within the government's own narrative.
While the EFCC issued an official explanation for freezing the Osun account, it made no reference to any court order. Tinubu, however, framed his directive as instructing the Commission to vacate such an order.
"If indeed there was a court order, why did the EFCC omit such a fundamental fact from its official account? If there was none, then the President has introduced into the public discourse a legal process that exists nowhere in the EFCC's own narrative. Nigerians deserve a coherent explanation instead of conflicting versions from the same government."
He argued that the episode had shattered the long-held position that Nigeria's anti-corruption agencies function without presidential interference.
"President Tinubu cannot have it both ways. He cannot claim that he neither knew of nor interferes in the operations of the EFCC and, in the very next breath, announce that he has directed the Commission to discontinue its action and return to court. Institutions cannot be independent only when it is politically convenient and subject to presidential directives whenever controversy arises. That is not institutional autonomy; it is executive control disguised as independence."
El-Rufai case as the test
Atiku said Tinubu's willingness to intervene in the EFCC matter now creates an obligation he cannot ignore regarding El-Rufai's detention by the ICPC.
"If he can direct the EFCC to discontinue its action today, then he cannot pretend to be powerless over the actions of the ICPC tomorrow. Executive power cannot be invoked selectively for political convenience while institutional independence is cited only when it suits the Presidency."
He acknowledged that reversing the account freeze may limit damage to the electoral process ahead of the Osun governorship election, but said it did not answer the more troubling question of why the action was taken at all.
"Who authorised the freezing of the account of an opposition-controlled state just days before a governorship election, and why was such an extraordinary action taken at such a politically sensitive moment? Democracy is not measured by the ability to reverse an injustice after public outrage; it is measured by the discipline to prevent such injustice from occurring in the first place."
Source: Twitter
Atiku reacts as EFCC freezes Osun account
Recall that Atiku warned that freezing Osun State's allocation account days before the governorship election poses a threat to democratic credibility.
The ADC presidential candidate said the timing raises serious questions about whether federal institutions are acting independently of political interests.
Atiku called on the EFCC to reverse the freeze and urged all election-related institutions to act with impartiality and respect for the Constitution.
El-Rufai: ADC fires fresh shot at Tinubu
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that ADC national publicity secretary Bolaji Abdullahi issued a direct warning to President Tinubu over the detention of former Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai
Abdullahi alleged that el-Rufai's continued custody is politically motivated and designed to sideline him from the 2027 elections.
El-Rufai is facing separate trials by the DSS and ICPC, with his bail application dismissed in early July, while his wives have appealed to Tinubu for help.
Source: Legit.ng
