Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has decried the incessant
harassment and malignment of serving governors in the country,
especially the Chairman the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Governor
of Zamfara State, Abudulazeez Yari by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) Acting Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu, saying;
“the EFCC is obviously blackmailing State Governors on the Paris Club
refunds.”
Governor Fayose, who said that Governor Yari, as the leader of all the
State Governors in Nigeria deserved some level of respect from Magu
and his gangs in the EFCC, added that “Rushing to court to seek
forfeiture of properties on which no one had been convicted and
maligning the NGF chairman is to say the least, irresponsible.”
In a release issued in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday by his Special Assistant
on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor
described the onslaught on Governor Yari as a direct attack on all the
governors of the 36 States of Nigeria, calling on all the governors
to rise and protect the NGF.”
He pointed out that the Paris Club refunds was occasioned by the
Federal Government’s illegal conversion of funds belonging to the
States and Local Governments, adding that it was absurd that the
Federal Government, which illegally used money belonging to the States
and Local Governments for its own purpose was the one giving
conditions as to how the refund must be spent.
“It is like a man stealing your money and now coming back to give you
conditions to refund the money he stole and also telling you how to
spend the money,” he said.
The governor said it was the height of rascality for the EFCC to keep
feeding the public with falsehood and maligning the hard-earned
integrity of Nigerians, especially former and serving governors.
“This persistent media trial is the reason EFCC has lost most of the
high-profile corruption cases at the law courts.
“For instance, EFCC was the one that investigated and it was the one
that went to court to file ex-parte application, seeking interim
forfeiture of N500m and $500,000 it claimed was looted from the Paris
Club refunds. No defence from any of the accused.
“Yet, Governor Yari is already being presented to the public as a
thief by the EFCC. This irresponsibility must stop because these
attacks on the person of NGF chairman by Magu and by extension the
entire governors in Nigeria must stop,” he said.
