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| Ayo Fayose |
GOVERNOR of Ekiti
State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has temporarily lost control of his personal
account domiciled at Zenith Bank to the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) over traces of deposit of public funds in the said
account despite his immunity from criminal prosecution enjoyed as a governor of
a state in Nigeria.
According to sources,
the governor’s personal account was allegedly frozen on the order of the
anti-graft agency following traces of various amounts of money transferred to the account
from the Office of the National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) which
was in hundreds of millions of naira. Col Dasuki has been in custody over the indiscriminate diversion of public funds to his associates and public officeholders and facing various charges alongside his collaborators...
Also in the list of bank
accounts placed on suspension on the orders of the anti-corrupt agency is
associates of the governor whose names are yet to be disclosed.
Fayose, had earlier
issued a cheque to make a withdrawal but was rejected by the bank, leading to his
personal visit to the bank’s branch located at Onigari, GRA in Ado Ekiti stated
that the action of the anti-graft agency was indicative that the agency
operates above the law to please its masters.
“I got wind of the
fact that the EFCC had placed a restriction order on my personal account and
that of my associates. I came here today and I have been able to see it. This
action shows that this government has no respect for the constitution because I
enjoy immunity under Section 308.
“I support government
fighting corruption, but it has to be within the ambit of the law. You can
investigate me, it is their right, but they have to wait till 2018, because I
will be done by then. They should not be in a hurry because I will personally
come to them for investigation.
“I have become a
figure head in this country that I don’t have anywhere to run to. This
rascality of EFCC must stop. If they like, let them investigate the whole
world. Is it because they are the sitting government now that nobody can ask
them questions? We will take every legal procedure to get things right.
“I am not leaving this
bank until they give me a statement of account. They must put it into writing
because EFCC has no right under the law to freeze my account.
“They did not
communicate with me. They want to destabilise the state and we will use all
legal means to make them obey the constitution. They can investigate me, but
they can’t coerce me,” he said.
EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren reacting to
the condemnation of the action said the anti-garft agency has the right to
investigate any governor whose account is being used to move funds.
“Immunity does not prevent EFCC from
investigating suspicious accounts of those enjoying immunity, and Fayose cannot
be an exception”, Uwujaren stated.
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