By Idris Ibrahim
A pro-Democracy group, Concerned Nigerians, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for persecuting the immediate past Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose.
Mr. Fayose who turned himself, Tuesday, into the anti-graft agency headquarters in Abuja for questioning over alleged corruption is still in detention.
The group in a Press Statement made available to Journalists, Wednesday, enjoined the EFCC to prosecute the Former Governor if found wanting and not persecute him because of his political leaning or affiliation.
Convener of the group, Deji Adeyanju, recalled that the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, who was accused of corruption and subsequently suspended, did not spend a night at EFCC facility when he was invited for questioning.
“We are amazed that the former Secretary to the government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal Who was accused of misappropriation of public funds was summarily invited to the Commission’s office and subsequently released without charging him to court or even spending a night in detention”.
“It is therefore baffling that the former governor who voluntarily submitted himself to the commission for investigation spent the night in an EFCC cells and is being detained arbitrarily while the Former SGF is walking free. We condemn in its entirety, this sort of selective justice”, Mr. Deji said.
“You would recall that the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir David Lawal was suspended and subsequently fired for allegedly violating the law and due process in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE),” he added.
The group further stated that the anti-graft agency should release Mr. Fayose untill the commission provides an evidence indicting the former governor of Ekiti state.
“Finally, we are also amazed that the EFCC that had shown great appetite to feast on Fayose are suddenly claiming not to have enough evidence to approach the court until he Fayose implicates himself”
“We call on the Anti-graft agency to their already established trend of selective justice. The commission should, therefore, release Fayose just like they did with Babachir Lawal since it appears they are not yet ready to charge him to court. They should have waited to conclude their investigation before inviting him to explain and defend himself,” he added.
Fayose won’t succumb to EFCC media trial, his will remains strong – Aide
Meanwhile, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) continued to keep the immediate past governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose in its custody, his Media Aide, Lere Olayinka has said that the former governor has maintained his denial of all the allegations made against him and 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.”
