Ekiti State
Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has told the President Mohammadu 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 reads:
"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."
0 Comments