The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is set to invite Mrs. Feyisetan Fayose, the wife of Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, for receiving N100m through an account which is
operated by her and her husband. According to the EFCC, the money, which
emanated from the account of the Office of the National Security
Adviser, was paid into the Zenith Bank account of Spotless Investment
Limited on June 17, 2014, less than a week to the June 21 governorship
election in Ekiti State.
The money was paid into the company’s account with bank teller number
0540997 by Abiodun Agbele, an associate of the governor. The two
signatories to Spotless Investment Limited’s account are Fayose and his
wife. An EFCC detective told one of our correspondents, “N100m was paid
into the Spotless Investment Limited account with number 1010170969 at
Zenith Bank.
The two signatories are Fayose, with Bank Verification Number
22338867502, and his wife, Helen Olayemi, with BVN 22298990256.” The
account has since been frozen by the anti- graft agency. As a sitting
governor, Fayose cannot be prosecuted or arrested because he enjoys
immunity. “His wife, however, has no immunity,” the source added. The
PUNCH had reported on Wednesday that N1,219,490,000 was flown to Akure
Airport on June 12, 2014, by a former Minister of State for Defence,
Musiliu Obanikoro, ahead of the June 21, 2014 governorship election in
Ekiti State.
The money was said to have been part of the N4.7bn, which was paid
into the Diamond Bank account of Sylvan McNamara by the Office of the
National Security Adviser. Sylvan McNamara is a company in which
Obanikoro’s sons are signatories.
A large chunk of the N1,219,490,000 was said to have been paid into
Fayose’s private and company accounts, including the N100m, which was
paid into the account of Spotless Investment Limited.
PDP, APC bicker over anti-corruption fight Meanwhile, the leadership
of the Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday described the freezing of
the personal accounts of Fayose as politically motivated. The party said
it had observed with dismay the dangerous trend of
“politically-motivated trials and tyrannical administration” of
President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress.
The PDP demanded that the ruling party must stop the witch-hunt in
the interest of peace and stability of our nation. This was contained in
a statement by the Publicity Committee of the PDP Caretaker Committee,
Mr. Dayo Adeyeye. The party described the freezing of Fayose’s personal
account as unlawful, undemocratic, autocratic, oppressive, draconian and
the height of desperation by the Buhari administration to cover up for
its failure to deliver on his campaign promises to Nigerians.
Adeyeye stated, “This government is all out to silence any voice of
the opposition. Nigerians will recall that Chief Olisa Metuh, the former
National Publicity Secretary of our great party, is today standing
trial for receiving campaign funds and since his arrest and prosecution
by the anti-graft agency, Chief Metuh could not challenge the APC
government on policy issues until he left office.
“Nigerians will also recall that one of the known opposition voices,
apart from some individuals and governors of our party, who has exposed
the APC- led administration for running the country aground in the last
one year, is the former spokesman for the PDP Presidential Campaign
Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; and he is now standing trial for
receiving campaign funds from the Director of Finance of the Campaign.
“ It’s now the turn of the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose,
who has been consistent in condemning the woes the APC government
brought upon Nigerians and for remaining critical of the APC and
President Buhari’s administration.” The party condemned the freezing of
Fayose’s personal account and asked the EFCC to unfreeze the bank
account immediately, saying the action violated Section 308 of the 1999
Constitution, as a sitting governor could not stand trial until after
office.
In its reaction, the APC said the opposition PDP did not have the
right to dictate how the Buhari-led administration should fight
corruption. APC said this in a statement by its National Secretary, Mai
Mala Buni, in Abuja, on Wednesday. The party said this in its reaction
to the declaration by the PDP National Assembly caucus that it had
withdrawn its support for the Buhari administration following what it
called the persecution of its members. Buni said, “For the umpteenth
time, the PDP and their agents do not have the luxury of dictating how
the current administration and the anti- corruption agencies carry out
their legitimate duties of investigating and prosecuting cases of
corruption as long as they conform to the rule of law.
“The PDP Caucus must be reminded of their primary responsibility of
law-making and representation of their constituents at the National
Assembly.” The ruling party advised the PDP Senate Caucus not to allow
“political shenanigans” to becloud the overall national interest. It
said the caucus’ allegations of a selective anti- corruption fight and
“belligerent” stance of the current administration was hogwash and
baseless.
How my campaign was funded –Fayose Also, on Wednesday, Fayose
explained that his 2014 governorship election campaign was funded by the
Zenith Bank, fundraising, donations from friends and associates as well
as sales of campaign souvenirs. The governor was reacting to media
reports that the EFCC traced N4.7bn from the ONSA to his account and the
company account of the two sons of Obanikoro.
Fayose in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi,
challenged the EFCC to publish statements made by Obanikoro, his sons or
any other person associated with money from the NSA’s office, where
they claimed they gave him money for the election. He stated, “I have no
financial transaction whatsoever with the Office of the National
Security Adviser under Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), and former Minister of
State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, either by cash, cheque or
electronic transfer.
“The EFCC is only acting a movie scripted, produced and directed by the All Progressives Congress government of President
Muhammadu Buhari just to silence me, being a major opposition voice in
the country.” Narrating how he came about the money found in his Zenith
Bank account, the governor said,
“The management of Zenith Bank, which majorly funded my election,
called me to a meeting, where I was asked to nominate a trusted ally to
be related with and I nominated Mr. Abiodun Agbele. “All the payments
into Abiodun Agbele’s account domiciled in Zenith Bank were directly
from Zenith Bank.
“Most of the funds posted into Agbele’s account were through the
Ibadan, Akure and Lagos branches of the Zenith Bank and sometimes; they
brought cash. “Assuming but not conceding, that cash moved from Lagos to
Akure as being claimed by the EFCC in its usual manner of media trial,
was meant for my election in Ekiti, why was the cash not moved to Ado
Ekiti branch of Zenith Bank or the cash handed to me directly?
“I wish to state further that if it becomes evidently clear that
those who willingly provided money for my election can no longer stand
by what they did, maybe because of threat from the EFCC, I will not
hesitate to name names.”
The governor called on the EFCC to beam its searchlights on the
funding of the APC elections, especially that of the President. Fayose
added, “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 probe the funding of APC elections before further funds are
released to the commission.
“Most importantly, Nigerians are interested in the $60m allegedly
donated to the APC campaign by Sahara Energy, on which the EFCC has been
forced to suspend investigation.”
