The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has questioned the independence of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following President Bola Tinubu's directive ordering the anti-graft agency to vacate the court order freezing the Osun State Government's bank accounts.

The opposition party also challenged the President to disclose the court order he said the EFCC had obtained, arguing that the commission never publicly claimed to have secured judicial approval before the President's intervention.

The reaction followed Tinubu's directive on Thursday instructing the EFCC to return to court immediately to vacate the order freezing the Osun Government's accounts.

Tinubu said although the commission acted within its statutory powers, the timing of the action, coming days before the August 15 governorship election, was inappropriate.

The President said he was "deeply embarrassed" by the development because actions taken by federal agencies are often attributed to the Presidency, stressing that no action should create the impression that the Federal Government was attempting to influence the outcome of the election.

Before the directive, the EFCC had defended the account freeze, saying it was investigating the alleged fraudulent handling of ecological and intervention funds by the Osun State Government.

The commission also said investigators observed suspicious transfers from the accounts during the ongoing probe.

Reacting in a statement, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said Tinubu's explanation had raised more questions than answers.

According to him, the EFCC consistently defended its action based on its statutory powers and preventive mandate but never informed Nigerians that it had obtained a court order authorising the freeze.

"What we find most curious about the statement is the President's repeated reference to an alleged court order authorising the freezing of the Osun State Government's accounts," Abdullahi said.

He questioned where the President obtained the information if the EFCC had never publicly disclosed the existence of such an order.

"If such an order exists, why was it never mentioned by the EFCC in its statement while defending one of the most controversial actions it has taken in recent times? If no such order exists, why would the President introduce one into the public narrative?

"It is either the President was misinformed or he had chosen to misrepresent the facts. Either possibility is deeply disturbing," he added.

The ADC also argued that the President's directive to the EFCC contradicted repeated claims that anti-corruption agencies operate independently.

According to Abdullahi, if the President has the authority to direct the EFCC to discontinue court proceedings because of possible political implications, it suggests he also has the power to influence other operational decisions of the commission.

"The net implication is that the carefully cultivated argument that these agencies operate entirely independently collapses under the weight of the President's own statement," he said.