EFCC freezes Governor Fayose’s personal account........... 'it is criminal, illegal' - Fayose fumes

The personal account of the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose and that of his associates have been frozen by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Fayose Speaking at the premises of Zenith Bank, Ado-Ekiti, where he had his personal account, the governor claimed that he had gotten winds of plans by the Presidency to freeze his account some days earlier.

A source at the Bank told the visibly surprised Governor Fayose that his account was allegedly frozen on the order of the anti-graft agency.

The Governor said, he had earlier issued a counter-cheque to make withdrawal and was rejected by the bank located at Onigari , GRA in Ado Ekiti, describing the action as criminal and illegal.

 Citing Section 308 of the 1999 constitution, Fayose said he enjoys immunity as a sitting governor , urging the federal government to fight corruption within the ambit of the law.

“Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution gives me immunity just like the President. I wouldn’t know why these people are intolerant of others and in a haste. Let them wait till 2018 when I will end my tenure for them to do their investigati‎on. The other time the EFCC accused me of embezzling N1.2 billion poultry project fund, I was the one who voluntarily reported myself to the EFCC.

“It was ‎when I got a hint of their move that I wrote a cheque to withdraw some money from the account and I came myself. I was denied access to the account as I was told the EFCC has placed restriction on it. That is executive rascality taken too far. Even when I had case with EFCC my properties were not affected.

“If they say they are investigating money spent on election, does it mean it is only Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that spent money on election? A lot of people and groups supported my campaign then.

“Where did APC and their leaders get the money they spent on 2015 general elections from? Now it is only in PDP that they find thieves, to them there are no theieves in the APC.

“Even the President cannot claim to be an angel. The estate he built in Abuja is known to us. His wife was indicted over the Halliburton Scandal. When that American, Jefferson, was being sentenced, the President’s wife was mentioned as having wired $170,000 to Jefferson. Her name was on page 25 of the sentencing of Jefferson. We can serialize the judgment for people to see and read.

“We will not allow this and we will defend our rights within the law of the land. Those who th‎ink they can silence me are mistaken. I am a person who is not perturbed by things like this.

“Let them wait till 2018 when I will finish my term and I will be the one to go and meet them. I won’t run away and let them investigate the whole world, I have nothing to hide or fear,” he said.

Fayose who vowed to challenge the action appropriately.

Fayose’s personal account was frozen following clues on alleged “suspicious lodgments”, a top official of the anti-graft agency said last night.

The agency said the action was part of an ongoing investigation, adding that governors have no immunity against investigation.

Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution only confers immunity on governors and some public officers against prosecution, the official added.

Although there were allegations that the frozen cash was about N1.3billion, the EFCC said it might released the figure today as part of its findings.

EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren told NE last night that Fayose cannot stop the anti-graft commission from doing its job.

Uwujaren said: “It is true that we have frozen Governor Fayose’s acount in connection with an ongoing investigation. We will soon release the details of our findings to the public.

“We froze the account because Fayose has no immunity against investigation.

“Let me clarify that the 1999 Constitution does not grant immunity to governors or public officers against investigation.

“The governors and others enjoying the immunity clause in Section 308 cannot be prosecuted. Therefore, Fayose cannot stop EFCC from doing its job.”

Asked if the amount in the Post No Bill ( PNB ) account was up to N1.3billion as being speculated, Uwujaren said: “Certainly, some amount was frozen in Fayose’s account but I cannot say the exact amount till tomorrow (today).”

A top official, who spoke in confidence, said: “It became necessary to freeze the account following clues on alleged suspicious lodgments.

“We will release the facts soon to Nigerians to appreciate the extent of our investigation.”

Fayose accused the EFCC of intimidating him and vowed not to succumb.

A statement by his Chief Press Secretary Idowu Adelusi and a broadcast relayed on the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State (BSES) yesterday announced the freezing of the governor’s account.

The governor, who accused the President Muhammadu Buhari administration of running a “selective anti-corruption crusade”, alleged that the accounts of his political associates and followers were also frozen by the EFCC. But he did not give their names and details.

He also claimed that he was not informed that he had committed any offence before his account was frozen.

The governor accused some leaders of the APC and a prominent lawyer from the state of being behind the action.