Former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, who on Tuesday reported at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) office in Abuja in accordance with his promise is still being interrogated by the commission.
Head, Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren disclosed this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.
Asked why Fayose was still detained for over 24 hours, Uwujaren said “we are still within range. We are not keeping him but interrogating him.”
Fayose’s tenure as governor ended on Monday, and he had on Saturday, presented “Hand-over Note’’ to his successor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who was inaugurated on Tuesday.
On arrival at EFCC office, the former governor had said “I am here in line with my promise that I will be here on the 16th of October.
“And, like I said to EFCC, they should await my arrival. They had been to my house; they cordoned off my street which I feel personally was unnecessary. It is unwarranted.
“I had led Ekiti, and the best I could give, I have given. Therefore, every question, whatever they need to ask, I will be able to respond appropriately.”
He had in a letter to the EFCC sometime ago, said his term of office “to which I enjoy immunity against investigation and prosecution shall lapse by Monday, Oct. 15, 2018.
“As a responsible citizen of our great country, who believes in the rule of law, I wish to inform you of my decision to make myself available in your office on Tuesday, 16th October, 2018 at 1pm.
“It is to clarify issues or answer questions within my knowledge.”
Meanwhile, Fayose, has maintained his denial of all the allegations made against him by the EFCC
His media aide, Lere Olayinka, in a statement on Wednesday, said Fayose had insisted that he be charged to court.
“Today is his second day in EFCC custody and I can say that his spirit is high and his will remains very strong,” he said.
Olayinka, who said the EFCC must stop acting irresponsibly by subjecting Nigerians to media trial whenever they lacked concrete evidence to sustain court trial, added that “the commission has started its usual lies by claiming that it discovered houses bought by Fayose with public fund.”
He said: “Nigerians should recall that in 2016, operatives of this same EFCC attempted to seal up a guest house located at Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja, claiming that it belonged to Fayose. Whereas, the building belonged to a retired army general.”
Olayinka said since the EFCC claimed to have “overwhelming evidence” against the former governor, the most reasonable thing to do is to charge him to court and get him prosecuted with the overwhelming evidence at the
commission’s disposal.
“However, since the EFCC is only being used to settle political scores, it is more comfortable with keeping Fayose in custody so as to achieve the agenda of keeping him out of circulation and embarking on its usual media trial.
“But on this Fayose’s matter, they have picked on a wrong customer and no amount of intimidation, blackmail and harassment will break his resistance to tyranny, agent of which the EFCC has become.”
