Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has called for the prosecution of embattled acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu.
Fayose also described EFCC as the headquarters of corruption in Nigeria, saying: ““If there is anyone that should be urgently prosecuted, it is Ibrahim Magu who was indicted by the DSS and still operating illegally as the EFCC Acting Chairman, despite his rejection by the Senate.”
Special Assistant to the governor on Public
Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, who reacted on behalf of his boss to a protest in Abuja on Friday against Fayose, said it was shameful that instead of labouring on how to better the lives of suffering Nigerians, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, and the EFCC were busy sponsoring a N1,500-per-protester protest against Fayose.
Describing the so-called protest as petty, useless and an
afterthought, the governor’s spokesperson said: “It is obvious that Fayose’s emergence as Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum has unsettled the APC cabal because they fear that he is capable of using the platform against President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term ambition.
“Ridiculously, in their desperation and fear of the unknown, EFCC shamelessly turned itself to the mouthpiece of the protesters by issuing a statement on their behalf.
“Less than 50 paid protesters came to the EFCC and the next thing to be seen was a statement by EFCC Head of Media &
Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren. Isn’t this ridiculous? Is EFCC
spokesperson also the mouthpiece of the so-called protesters? May be EFCC operatives, including Magu, should have joined the protest so that Nigerians will know that it was EFCC that protested and the media will be able to use appropriate headline like; ‘EFCC stages protest against
Fayose.’ Shame!
“If they are having headache because of Governor Fayose’s rising profile, especially his emergence as Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, their headache will soon turn to migraine that will be difficult to cure.”
Insisting that “the EFCC must first remove the timber in its eyes before attempting to remove the toothpicks in other people’s eyes”, Olayinka said: “Magu that was indicted of corruption by the DSS and other functionaries of the Buhari’s APC government must be prosecuted first.”
He reminded Fayose’s detractors that he is a sitting and well
rooted governor that cannot be prosecuted, saying; “Those whose only daily business is to run after Peter Ayodele Fayose should just keep their gun powder dry and wait till 2018.”
Olayinka advised APC leaders, especially Fayemi to rise above pettiness and stop fighting a lost battle, saying; “It is funny that they still believe they can use the same strategy that they used in 2006 to wrestle power in 2017.”
Earlier, some women and youths besieged the EFCC headquarters to demand the immediate probe and prosecution of Fayose over his involvement in the arms probe deal.
The group said although the governor enjoys immunity, such is not as sacred as human lives.
The angry protesters under the banner of Patrioticc Mothers without Borders also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intensify the anti corruption campaign.
They said no Nigerian must be spared in the ongoing war.
Carrying various placards with inscription such as ‘Governor Fayose must go’, ‘He can’t continue to enjoy immunity’, ‘He should be treated like Sambo Dasuki’, among others, the group said the EFCC should be up and doing.
The leader of the group, Nnnenna Jideofor, said: “The reality is that people are unanimous in desiring that the anti-graft agencies must not lose the anti-graft war.
“This is why there are deep running concerns in the land that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been caged but we do not want to believe this. We do not want to accept that the EFCC is merely making a show of fighting corruption.
“Several developments contributed to the spread of this impression among Nigerians but our strong belief is that EFCC’s inability to do anything about the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, publicly known beyond every shadow of doubt to have been a key suspect in the theft of money meant for purchasing weapons to fight Boko Haram terrorists, is the leading cause.
“The Ekiti State governor and his accomplices have blood on their hands in addition to stealing public funds. They took part in stealing the money meant for buying arms to fight Boko Haram.
“The crippling of the military’s fighting capabilities as a result of this have made some women widows and children orphaned.
“What Nigerians are saying is that the EFCC can lose its cases against others that took part in the theft of the arms money simply on account that Fayose is being treated as one who is above the law, thereby providing his collaborator with the excuse that the Ekiti State governor cannot be walking free as a direct beneficiary while they get punished as partakers.
“His collaborators, former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Senator Iyiola Omisore and others have returned some money. The gravity of this crime does not permit that we wait indefinitely for Fayose to leave office. He would have finished spending his share of the loot by then. Besides, this implies the EFCC would not have any exhibit on him again – he has all the time to destroy evidence and clean his track while terrorists continue to kill Nigerians because of his action.
“The Ekiti State governor has now added criminality to brigandage as he diverting the state’s money to questionable NGOs and other shady groups to organise protests that favour his agenda in other states. This is not just unacceptable and immoral but also criminal as he has no right to disburse his state’s money to his cronies under the guise of NGOs or CSOs. Our belief is that more of this will happen if the EFCC does not immediately step in to put an end to this infraction.
“Sometimes last year, the EFCC did the right thing when it froze Fayose’s account with Zenith Bank, even though some laughable court ruling later unfroze the account. God will visit judgement on corrupt judges that deliver ruling for a bribe but it is the task of the EFCC to fish them out for punishment.
“The EFCC must again help Nigerians to test the law by immediately whisking Fayose before a competent court after his arrest for being part of those that instigated the arms purchase scandal. We do not see how the immunity granted him by the constitution was meant to protect governors from criminal liability, especially where the case of theft is involved.
“The world laughs at us as people who empower public office holders to steal. That the EFCC is now treating the matter as if Nigerian laws and constitution gave Ayo Fayose a blank cheque to steal and not be questioned is an insult to all decent Nigerians and torture to families that have lost loved ones to terror attacks that continued because there were no military gear to fight terrorists.
“To the lawmakers in Ekiti State House of Assembly, we are disappointed they have lost their souls to an overlord. They ignorantly go about boasting how no one can make them impeach Fayose, Their cups will soon be overfilled. We beg the EFCC to, as a matter of urgency, investigate how much these members have received either through Fayose or his proxies.
“We must know what the compromise is. We demand how much of the funds meant for buying weapons found its way into their pockets and who paid them the bribes.
“EFCC owes us as mothers, it owes us as Nigerians to reassure us that its refusal to arrest Fayose up till this moment is not the reason it has become a relic, a shadow of the anti-corruption agency that was once dreaded for its efficacy” she said
EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwugiaren, and an official of the commission, Umaru Mohammed, who received the letter of petition on behalf of Magu, promised to follow it up and ensure that justice is done
