EFCC sets up special teams to flame broil Fayose over corruption allegations
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has set up a special team to interrogate Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State next week , The PUNCH can confirm .
Fayose , who has been governor since October 16, 2014, will lose his immunity at exactly 11. 59pm on October 15, 2018, thereby giving the EFCC the constitutional right to arrest, detain and prosecute him .
The governor is expected to report at the EFCC head office in Abuja to meet with the commission’ s Director of Operations, Umar Mohammed, after which he will be grilled by a team of operatives.
Fayose is under investigation for allegedly receiving over N 1. 2bn from a former National Security Adviser , Col . Sambo Dasuki ( retd . ) , through a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro.
The money was allegedly handed over to Fayose during the build -up to the 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State .
Fayose ’ s aide, Abiodun Agbele , and others had been arraigned by the EFCC but Fayose was excluded because of his immunity.
A source within the EFCC said , “ We are expecting Fayose to show up at our office next week. He has nowhere to run to since he is under security watch and cannot leave the country through any land border, seaport or airport.
“ We have also set up a special team of investigators that will interrogate him immediately after the expiration of his tenure. ”
The governor is expected to be arraigned after investigations .
Apart from the alleged N 1. 2bn fraud , Fayose is also under probe for alleged contract fraud .
Speaking with one of our correspondents on Tuesday, a spokesman for Fayose , Mr . Idowu Adelusi , said his principal was ready for the EFCC.
Adelusi noted that the governor had written a letter to the EFCC indicating his readiness to appear before the commission next week.
He said , “ Governor Fayose is an honourable man. He will not run away. He has already stated that he will make himself available next Monday once his tenure expires . He made this clear in a letter recently. Even when he was not under immunity , the governor honoured the EFCC invitations.
“ The EFCC is not a court of law and cannot declare a person guilty . The governor will be available next week, no doubt. ”
Meanwhile, Fayose has filed a N 20bn suit against the EFCC for placing him on watch list and directing security agencies to arrest him , if he attempts to travel out of the country.
He said the directive against him despite being a sitting governor breached his constitutional immunity and exposed him to public opium and ridicule.
Fayose had in a September 3, 2018 letter by his counsel , Obafemi Adewale , given the EFCC 72 hours to withdraw the request /directive to security agencies and publish a written apology in three national newspapers and the social media.
A statement issued on Tuesday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media , Lere Olayinka , said the suit was consequent upon the EFCC ’ s failure to accede to his demands as contained in the letter.
Recall that EFCC had tweeted on July 16, 2018 through its official twitter handle @ officialEFCC concerning Governor Fayose that , “ The parri ( party) is over , the cloak of immunity is torn apart and the staff broken , Ekiti Integrated Poultry/Biological Concepts Limited N 1. 3bn fraud case file dusted off the shelves . See you soon . ”
In the suit , Fayose demanded among other things; an order of the court mandating the EFCC to pay the sum of N 20bn as general damages to what he called “ flagrant , deliberate, pre – meditated and reckless libel and unprovoked attack on his character and reputation and the breach of his constitutional right /immunity as an incumbent governor . ”
He asked the EFCC to tender a written apology , which should be circulated to all security agencies in Nigeria and that same should be published in at least three widely read national newspapers and the social media.
The governor also sought a declaration that the statements contained in the EFCC ’ s letter of September 12, 2018, and addressed to all security agencies n Nigeria portrayed him as a criminal , a fugitive and a run – away from the law , and that the statements were not true, were malicious , and not fair.
He asked the court to further declare “ that the EFCC ’ s letter placing him on watch list and directing his arrest on sight even while a sitting governor is unconstitutional as same offends the clear provision of Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ( as amended) which clothes him with immunity against arrest and prosecution as an incumbent governor . ”
“ That the tweet by the defendant ( the EFCC ) through its official twitter handle , which was widely circulated through social media and published in Punch Newspaper ( online ) of 16th July , 2018, with the particular wordings pleaded in the statement of claim filed along with this Writ is not true, is malicious , is not a fair statement and presents the plaintiff as a fraudster thereby ridiculing him and reducing him in the eyes of reasonable and right- thinking members of the society . ”
You’ re not wanted in APC , Ekiti leaders tell Fayose
However, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State , Paul Omotoso, and the chairmen of all wards in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government in Ekiti State and those in 13 wards of Ado Ekiti , have told Fayose to perish the thought of joining the APC until he clears himself of several criminal cases hanging on his neck .
The governor had on Monday hinted that he might leave the Peoples Democratic Party “ if the need arises . ”
But Omotosho, according to a statement by the state’ s Publicity Secretary , Ade Ajayi , advised the outgoing governor to conclude his court cases bordering on alleged crimes before contemplating to join the APC.
He said , “ We want to prove to the world that the APC will not provide sanctuary for criminal suspects, political prostitutes and lepers . We will never admit such character to this party and we advise Fayose to play his politics of destruction somewhere else .
“ Fayose ’ s criminal prosecution on the 2005 poultry project fraud resumes on November 4, 2018. Fayose cannot turn Ekiti APC to a haven and sanctuary for criminal suspects and we advise him to forget any plan to smear Ekiti APC with criminal records .
“ The APC is a political party bounded by common ideals of integrity, openness , discipline and commitment to common goal of progressive governance , which Fayose does not possess or believe as can be seen from his style of politics and governance.
“ Fayose over the years abused, disrespected and openly denigrated President Muhammadu Buhari , the leader of our party who is also the President and Commander -in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Fayose is coming to destroy our party and ensure President Buhari does not get a second term in 2019 and we won ’ t allow Fayose ’ s evil plan to materialise . ”
Stating that on no account would Fayose be admitted into the APC, Omotosho warned all ward chairmen against accepting him into the party.
He said , “ Our party is not a sanctuary for criminal suspects, political lepers and serial destroyers of the parties they once belonged .
“ We hereby warn ward chairmen where Fayose lives or runs his business against admitting him to our great party.
“ We hereby state clearly that no ward chairman must open talks with Fayose until such ward chairman clears with the party leadership at the state level. ”
He added , “ The APC is looking for builders and not destroyers in its fold . We will not accept this destroyer in our great party, the APC, and we advise Fayose to look elsewhere towards his promoters outside the state so that he can destroy the cohesion of the party in the backyards of those promoters. ”
I will never join APC, says Fayose
But Fayose , has said he will not join the APC, advising the party to bury the notion .
He stated this while reacting to a statement by the Ekiti Chairman of APC, Paul Omotoso, which said he was not wanted in the party.
Fayose said , “ APC my foot ! l will never have anything to do with APC . For the party’ s leaders to be saying that Fayose is coming to the APC amounts to unnecessary dissipation of their energy . I will never ever go to the APC and will never ever have anything to do with the party. ”