Free El-Rufai too, Atiku challenges Tinubu over EFCC’s Osun climbdown

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has directly challenged President Bola Tinubu, urging him to direct the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to release former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai. Abubakar's argument hinges on Tinubu's recent intervention in the Osun State government's frozen accounts.

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Having now demonstrated that he can issue direct operational directives to anti-corruption agencies whenever he considers it expedient, President Tinubu owes Nigerians an explanation as to why he cannot exercise the same authority in the case of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.

Abubakar, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, stated that if the President could order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to lift the freeze on Osun's accounts, he cannot claim powerlessness over El-Rufai's continued detention. "Having now demonstrated that he can issue direct operational directives to anti-corruption agencies whenever he considers it expedient, President Tinubu owes Nigerians an explanation as to why he cannot exercise the same authority in the case of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai," Abubakar declared.

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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

The former Vice President also criticized what he described as contradictory information from the government regarding the Osun account freeze. He questioned the validity of a court order, asking why the EFCC did not mention it in its official statement. If no court order existed, Abubakar argued, the President introduced a non-existent legal process into public discourse. "Nigerians deserve a coherent explanation instead of conflicting versions from the same government," he stated.

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Nigerians deserve a coherent explanation instead of conflicting versions from the same government

Abubakar asserted that the President cannot simultaneously deny interfering with EFCC operations while dictating the commission's actions. He argued that anti-corruption institutions should not be independent only when politically convenient, becoming subject to presidential directives during controversies. "That is not institutional autonomy; it is executive control disguised as independence," he said. Abubakar concluded that the implications extend beyond El-Rufai or Osun State, affecting public trust in Nigeria's anti-graft system. He noted that reversing the Osun freeze shortly before an election does not address the fundamental issues raised.

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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.