Institutions are not strengthened by the benevolence of those occupying political office. They are strengthened by respecting the boundaries established by law.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may have acted in good faith in directing the EFCC to approach the court to unfreeze the accounts of the Osun State Government. Indeed, many have applauded the intervention as timely and statesmanlike. A government should not be financially strangulated, with the attendant consequences for workers, pensioners and innocent citizens, particularly in the heat of political contestation.
But there is a much bigger issue here which should concern every democrat.
The independence of the EFCC.
The question is not whether the President’s intervention was popular. Neither is it whether Governor Ademola Adeleke and the Osun State Government deserved relief. The fundamental question is: Should the President be seen directing the EFCC on what to do in a specific enforcement matter?
