Detectives
were yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, to arrest some suspects
in the N4.7billion arms cash probe.
But
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) men found nobody. Their
targets were said to have gone into hiding in the palatial Oke Ayoba Government
House.
“They
are all holed up in the place but they can’t hide forever,” an EFCC source said
last night.
The
EFCC has traced about N4.75 billion of the diverted $2.1 billion arms cash to
Fayose and former Minister of State (Defence) Musiliu Obanikoro. Fayose accused
his bankers of succumbing to what he called “EFCC intimidation” in a bid to
nail him (Fayose).
In
a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi,
Fayose challenged the EFCC to publish statements made by Obanikoro,
his son or any other person associated with money from the NSA
office where they claimed they gave him money for the election.
He
accused the EFCC of “acting a movie scripted, produced and directed by
the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of President
Muhammadu Buhari just to silence me being a major opposition voice in
the country.”
Fayose
challenged the EFCC to beam its searchlight on the funding of the APC election
campaign, alleging that an oil giant donated $60 million to the campaign of the
then opposition party.
“I must say it categorically that I don’t have
any link financially with Obanikoro and I know as a fact that he
(Obanikoro) has not; and cannot mention my name, as a beneficiary of
whatever money, any company in which he has interest could have gotten
from the ONSA if truly Obanikoro collected money from the ONSA as being
claimed by the EFCC.
Challenging
the EFCC to also beam its searchlights on the funding of APC elections,
especially that of President Buhari, Fayose said; “Since we are now in the
era in which financial assistance from Nigerians to fund elections is
being criminalised, the international community, especially those funding
EFCC must insist that the commission probes the funding of APC elections before
further funds are released to the commission.
“Most
importantly, Nigerians are interested in the $60 million allegedly donated
to the APC campaign by Sahara Energy, on which EFCC has been forced to
suspend investigation.”
He
said it was obvious that he had become the main headache of President
Buhari’s administration, adding that “what they are doing now is part of
their grand plot to intimidate and harass me into submission but I am not
someone that can’t be cowed by threats of incarceration and death.
“I
advise that they should keep their gun powder dry and wait till the end of
my tenure in 2018 and I want to assure them that I will be available to
answer any of their questions, no matter how unreasonable.
“Furthermore,
Nigerians should know that I have been persecuted by the EFCC before,
using phantom N1.2 billion poultry scam and I came out victorious. I was
not only acquitted, I got N10 million judgment against the EFCC and my
impeachment that was orchestrated by the EFCC was quashed by the Supreme
Court.
“Nigerians
should recall that it was part of this plot to get back at me because of
my critical stance on Buhari’s government that the Ekiti State House of
Assembly was invaded by men of the Department of State Service (DSS),
placement of travel ban on me and, lately, illegal freezing of my account
by the EFCC.
“I
therefore make bold to state that in the overall interest of democracy and
well-being of Nigerians, I will continue to speak my mind on issues
bordering on governance in Nigeria. I cannot be intimidated!”
Tags
Politics