The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) has begun the investigation of Ayodele Fayose, the governor
of Ekiti state, his wife, Feyisetan Fayose, and his top aides.
TheCable reports that others being investigated include
Lere Olayinka, spokesperson to the governor; Toyin Ojo, the state’s
commissioner for finance; Oluyemisi Owolabi, the state’s accountant general.
Sources in the know of the
investigation reveal that the anti-graft agency is attempting to nail the governor,
his wife, and members of his cabinets on allegations of money laundering and
abuse of office.
Some of the letters, dated July 20, 2018, and addressed to the managing director and the
chief compliance officer of Access Bank Plc reveal that EFCC is also
investigating the governor for abuse of office.
The EFCC listed four Access Bank
accounts being run by “Ayodele Peter Fayose”, and about five accounts in the
same bank, being run by “Feyisetan Helen O. Fayose”, believed to be the wife of
the governor.
Sources also revealed that
similar letters were also sent to other major banks in the country, where the
governor and his loyalists run personal transactions.
Some of the letters referenced
“CR:3000/EFCC/ABJ/EG-TA/VOL.57/254” and “CR:3000/EFCC/ABJ/EG-TA/VOL.57/258”
requested that the banks’ compliance officers should report at the EFCC
economic governance section on Tuesday, July 24, 2018 — 10 days after the just
concluded Ekiti elections.
Insiders also revealed that the
banks were asked to present the details of accounts of the governor and his
loyalists, including their; statements of accounts, bank verification, and any
other relevant information that may help the investigation.
THE EKITI ELECTIONS AND ITS
UNDERCURRENTS
After the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) lost the July 14 elections in Ekiti state, the EFCC official
Twitter handle tweeted that the anti-graft agency was coming after Fayose to
explain his role in the alleged N1.3 billion fraud, as filed by the EFCC in
2005.
“The parri is over, the cloak of
immunity torn apart, and the staff broken. #Ekiti Integrated Poultry Project
Biological Concepts Limited N1.3bn fraud case file dusted off the shelves. See
you soon,” read the tweet posted hours after Kayode Fayemi was declared winner
of the governorship election.
The EFCC disowned the tweet,
saying it does not represent the views of the agency.
Wilson Uwujaren, spokesman of the
anti-graft agency, said: “in the opinion of most commentators, the tweet
betrayed the partisanship of the EFCC in the political contest in Ekiti state”.
“Against the background, the
commission is constrained to state that the purported tweet does not represent
the views of the EFCC. As a law enforcement organisation the commission is
apolitical and was not involved in the recent Ekiti election.
“While it is true that there is a
subsisting criminal charge against governor Fayose, the fate of the charge will
be determined by the federal high court, Ado Ekiti, at the expiration of his
tenure, not the EFCC.”
Olayinka, Fayose’s spokesperson,
who is also being investigated, replied the EFCC, asking the agency to
apologise for the “inglorious tweet”.
“Just read that @officialEFCC has
disowned its inglorious tweet about @GovAyoFayose and I wish to ask if EFCC has
also disowned the twitter handle. Methinks EFCC must go beyond mere disowning
the tweet and explain to Nigerians what informed it and tender unreserved
apology,” Olayinka tweeted.
In September 2017, the
commissioner of finance and the accountant general of the state, were arrested
by the EFCC.
“They were picked up following
their refusal to honour previous invitations for interrogation in relation to
pending investigation on the misuse of bailout funds by the Ayodele Fayose
administration,” Uwujaren said via a statement.
Fayose is said to have other
allegations to answer, including misuse of bailout funds, electoral fraud from
the 2014 governorship election (EkitiGate), and the N1.3 billion poultry fraud.
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Chai this Buhari government na case, they are just simply witch-hunt against the opposition or anyone who did not support his hardship government.
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