Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has told the President
Muhammadu Buhari led All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop harassing his government by threatening functionaries
of the government with arrest and looking for how his election was funded, declaring that; “my election was not funded with public fund and President Buhari and
his APC should also tell Nigerians how their own elections were
funded.”
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Sunday, Governor Fayose said;
“Certain top functionaries of the Ekiti State government and some
important members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti
State, and some associates of mine, have now been pencilled down for
arrest and indefinite detention by the EFCC under the guise of
investigating the funds spent by the PDP on the June 21, 2014
governorship election and the Presidential election.”
He disclosed that “some politicians from Ekiti State, including an
Ekiti born Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and self-professed human
rights activist and a Special Adviser to the Vice President are
involved in the plot being coordinated through the office of the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Attorney General
of the Federation.”
He said the game plan was to make those to be arrested get detained
indefinitely, forced them to make statements incriminating him, while
at the same time feeding the public with orchestrated fake reports,
using their usual media organs.
The governor however advised those behind the plot “to keep their gun
power dry and should not be in a hurry, but rather, wait till the end
of my tenure in 2018.”
He challenged the EFCC to tell Nigerians why it was silent on the many
petitions submitted to it against APC leaders, especially former
governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
Full text of the address:
“I called you here to intimate the public through your various medium,
the new clandestine plot by the President Mohammadu Buhari led All
Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government to destabilise the
Ekiti State Government, using the instrumentalities of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“Recall that a lot has been said about my election. First they said
it was photochromic and later militarization. The election was
challenged up to the supreme Court and I came out victorious. Remember
too that international observers including the US Govt applauded the
election.
“However, those who lost the election adjudged as free, fair and
credible are yet to accept the will of God and the people of Ekiti
State.
“A few days ago, we got it on good authority that there was a meeting
with some politicians from Ekiti State, including an Ekiti born Senior
Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and self-professed human rights activist by
agents of the Federal government, with the agenda solely, on how to
bring down my administration as the governor of the state.
“Activities of these elements that are obviously afraid of facing
another electoral defeat in 2018 are being coordinated through the
office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr
Babachir Lawal and the Attorney General of the Federation.
“Certain top functionaries of the Ekiti State government and some
important members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti
State, and some associates of mine, have now been pencilled down for
arrest and indefinite detention by the EFCC under the guise of
investigating the funds spent by the PDP on the June 21, 2014
governorship election and the Presidential election.
“The game plan is to make those to be arrested get detained
indefinitely, forced to make statements incriminating me, while at the
same time feeding the public with orchestrated fake reports, using
their usual media organs.
“This is coming after their failure to use the Department of State
Services (DSS) to coerce members of the State House of Assembly to buy
into the impeachment plot against me with a view to silencing me being
a major voice of the opposition.
“The plot to arrest and detain indefinitely my Chief of Staff, Chief
Dipo Anisulowo and four honourable members of the state House of
Assembly for treason.
“To achieve this sinister plot against the government and people of
Ekiti State, we have been informed that some of their trusted allies
in the EFCC have been mobilised to move to Ekiti any moment from now.
“I, however, wish to advice them to keep their gun power dry and
should not be in a hurry, but rather, wait till the end of my tenure
in 2018.
“As a man known to keeping to his words, I want to assure them that
I will be available to answer any of their questions, no matter how
unreasonable.
“While we are not afraid of persecution from anyone or government
agency, including the EFCC and DSS, I wish to state that the level at
which the Buhari-led Federal Government is taking political vendetta
and muzzling of opposition both in the PDP and within the APC, is
dangerous to the survival of democracy in the country.
“Most importantly, Nigerians must begin to ask the EFCC what has
happened to the several petitions against APC leaders and financiers
of President Buhari’s election, including former governors.
“For instance, on September 29, 2014, the EFCC received a petition
against former governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi and other APC
top-shots in Ekiti State. In the petition written by a group; Save
Ekiti Coalition, six major complaints bordering on fraudulent
practices were made with various documents attached.
“Also, on March 11, 2016, a petition on the misappropriation of
N852.9m fund belonging to the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education
Board (SUBEB) was received by the ICPC. The petition, which had
various documents attached was written by an Abuja based group;
Vanguard for Credible Representation.
“One of the documents attached to this petition was Universal Basic
Education Commission (UBEC) letter dated April 16, 2015, with
Reference Number; UBEC/FA/SUBEB/EK/183/Vol.II/162 in which the
withdrawal of the sum of N852, 936,713.92 counterpart fund belonging
to the Ekiti SUBEB by Fayemi and others was described as a criminal
act, that violated Section 11(2) of UBE Act 2004. It was also on the
basis of this financial crime that UBEC suspended Ekiti State from
accessing any further FGN-UBE Intervention Fund.
“In another letter written on September 11, 2015, with Ref. No.
PB/894/5, to the EFCC, which was acknowledge urging the commission to
investigate all the various petitions submitted to it on the
fraudulent acts perpetrated by the immediate past APC government in
the State has not seen the light of the day but rather, the EFCC is
running after vocal opponents of the APC like me, Ayodele Fayose.
“I wish to state unequivocally, that no amount of intimidation,
harassment, investigation, coercion, will make me stop speaking on
behalf of the common who freely gave their mandate to the APC, who are
now daily failing them.
“Furthermore, it is on record that on August 11, 2015, the EFCC came
up with an investigation report on the bribery allegation against Yobe
State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident
Electoral Commissioner (REC), Habu Hinna Zarma.
“In its own report, the EFCC said N15 million was indeed deposited
into the INEC REC Diamond Bank Plc (account number 0029126751) and
Zenith Bank Plc (account number 1001127288) by the Aide-de-Camp (ADC)
to Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, Assistant Superintendent of
Police, Zakari Deba and one Bamaaji Mohammed Kukawa.
“Despite that as at April 8, 2015 that the N8 million was lodged into
the INEC REC Diamond Bank account, only N28, 143.60 was in the account
and the REC personally cashed N600, 000 on April 9, 2015, the EFCC
only recommended the duo of ASP Zakari Deba (Yobe State Governor’s
ADC) and Bamaaji Mohammed Kukawa for prosecution.
“It will however interest Nigerians that 10 months after, those that
EFCC by its own investigations, recommended for prosecution are yet to
be charged to court!.. isn’t this interesting?
“Nigerians must therefore begin to ask the EFCC why it has refused to
act on petitions against APC members. Why is EFCC only interested in
how PDP funded its elections? Was the fund used for President Buhari’s
election gotten from the spirit world? Is EFCC now for persecution of
PDP members? Must everyone that is not in the APC be subject of EFCC
harassment?
“Can Nigerians forget in a jiffy the activities of most people in the
cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari who ran their states aground in
an effort to funding president Muhammadu Buhari election.
“Please, can we ask the current government, who paid for all the
chartered aircrafts used for the campaign, the payment for all
logistics for the campaign?
“It is now obvious that the current government is all out to move
against and silence all voices in the opposition.
“We have examples in the detention of Femi Fani-Kayode, the
persecution of Olisa Metuh the immediate past National Publicity
Secretary of the PDP.
“Nigerians should also be reminded of the way and manner EFCC was ran
when its present Chairman, Ibrahim Magu was the Head of Economic
Governance Unit during the tenure of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. It was then
that impeachment of governors was plotted, hatched and executed within
the four walls of the EFCC.
“It is worthy of note that I was among the governors whose illegal
impeachment was orchestrated by the EFCC with the active connivance of
Magu and the Ekiti SAN self acclaimed human right activists who is
once again the coordinator of the current conspiracy against my
person.
“I was unjustly arrested, humiliated and incarcerated for 50 days
both in EFCC cell and Ikoyi Prison over allegations of phoney poultry
allegation that they could not prove in the law court at the long run
as I was discharged and acquited.
“I just want to alert all Nigerians that they are at it again, but
they will not succeed and I will not surrender nor lose my voice as a
result of their harassment.
“I make bold to state that in the overall interest of democracy and
well-being of Nigerians, I will continue to speak my mind on issues
bordering on governance in Nigeria and I will not be intimidated!
“I have not heard in the history of election anywhere in the world
where elections are conducted without funding.
“I wish to state that there was no government funding of my election,
as my election was funded purely by the private sector and organised
donations within and outside the party.
“The Buhari led administration should also be gracious enough to prove
to all Nigerians that their election was not funded by public funds
that has been linked to them, but which the EFCC is looking away.
“The current government should be mindful that what goes round comes round.
“Those who are presently in charge of the Federal Government should be
mindful of the fact that we all own Nigeria together and all Nigerians
cannot belong to the APC.
“As a government, we have been transparent in the running of Ekiti
State, and for this, Ekiti State was rated as the Most Transparent
State in Nigeria in terms of transparency in budgeting by Civil
Resources Development Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC) in conjunction
with the British Department for International Development (DFID).
“Nigeria has gotten to a level where those of us holding powers should
operate beyond politics and corruption fight should not be only about
those who are not on the same page with the federal government.
“Rather, it should be inclusive of everyone, irrespective of political
affiliation and must be done in accordance with the rule of law.”
