Fayose Dares Buhari To Show APC Elections Not Funded With Public Funds

Source: pointblanknews.com

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has told the President

Mohammadu Buhari led All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop harassing

his government  by threatening functionaries of the government with

arrest and looking for how his election was funded, declaring that;

“my election was not funded with public fund and President Buhari and

his APC should also tell Nigerians how their own elections were

funded.”
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Sunday , Governor Fayose said;

“Certain top functionaries of the Ekiti State government and some

important members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti

State, and some associates of mine, have now been pencilled down for

arrest and indefinite detention by the EFCC under the guise of

investigating the funds spent by the PDP on the June 21, 2014

governorship election and the Presidential election.”

He disclosed that “some politicians from Ekiti State, including an

Ekiti born Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and self-professed human

rights activist and a Special Adviser to the Vice President are

involved in the plot being coordinated through the office of the

Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Attorney General

of the Federation.”
He said the game plan was to make those to be arrested get detained

indefinitely, forced them to make statements incriminating him, while

at the same time feeding the public with orchestrated fake reports,

using their usual media organs.
The governor however advised those behind the plot “to keep their gun

power dry and should not be in a hurry, but rather, wait till the end

of my tenure in 2018.”
He challenged the EFCC to tell Nigerians why it was silent on the many

petitions submitted to it against APC leaders, especially former

governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
Full text of the address reads;
“I called you here to intimate the public through your various medium,

the new clandestine plot by the President Mohammadu Buhari led All

Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government to destabilise the

Ekiti State Government, using the instrumentalities of the Economic

and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“Recall that a lot has been said about my election.  First they said

it was photochromic and later militarization.  The election was

challenged up to the supreme Court and I came out victorious. Remember

too that international observers including the US Govt applauded the

election.
“However, those who lost the election adjudged as free, fair and

credible are yet to accept the will of God and the people of Ekiti

State.
“A few days ago, we got it on good authority that there was a meeting

with some politicians from Ekiti State, including an Ekiti born Senior

Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and self-professed human rights activist by

agents of the Federal government, with the agenda solely, on how to

bring down my administration as the governor of the state.

“Activities of these elements that are obviously afraid of facing

another electoral defeat in 2018 are being coordinated through the

office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr

Babachir Lawal and the Attorney General of the Federation.

“Certain top functionaries of the Ekiti State government and some

important members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti

State, and some associates of mine, have now been pencilled down for

arrest and indefinite detention by the EFCC under the guise of

investigating the funds spent by the PDP on the June 21, 2014

governorship election and the Presidential election.

“The game plan is to make those to be arrested get detained

indefinitely, forced to make statements incriminating me, while at the

same time feeding the public with orchestrated fake reports, using

their usual media organs.
“This is coming after their failure to use the Department of State

Services (DSS) to coerce members of the State House of Assembly to buy

into the impeachment plot against me with a view to silencing me being

a  major voice of the opposition.
“The  plot to arrest and detain indefinitely my Chief of Staff, Chief

Dipo Anisulowo and four honourable members of the state House of

Assembly for treason.
“To achieve this sinister plot against the government and people of

Ekiti State, we have been informed that some of their trusted allies

in the EFCC have been mobilised to move to Ekiti any moment from now.

“I, however, wish to advice them to keep their gun power dry and

should not be in a hurry, but rather, wait till the end of my tenure

in 2018.
“As a man known to keeping  to his words,  I want to assure them  that

I will be available to answer any of their questions, no matter how

unreasonable.
“While we are not afraid of persecution from anyone or government

agency, including the EFCC and DSS, I wish to state that the level at

which the Buhari-led Federal Government is taking political vendetta

and muzzling of opposition both in the PDP and within the APC, is

dangerous to the survival of democracy in the country.

“Most importantly, Nigerians must begin to ask the EFCC what has

happened to the several petitions  against APC leaders and financiers

of President Buhari's election, including former governors.

“For instance, on September 29, 2014, the EFCC received a petition

against former governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi and other APC

top-shots in Ekiti State.  In the petition written by a group; Save

Ekiti Coalition, six major complaints bordering on fraudulent

practices were made with various documents attached.

“Also, on March 11, 2016, a petition on the misappropriation of

N852.9m fund belonging to the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education

Board (SUBEB) was received by the ICPC. The petition, which had

various documents attached was written by an Abuja based group;

Vanguard for Credible Representation.
“One of the documents attached to this petition was Universal Basic

Education Commission (UBEC) letter dated April 16, 2015, with

Reference Number; UBEC/FA/SUBEB/EK/183/Vol.II/ 162 in which the

withdrawal of the sum of N852, 936,713.92 counterpart fund belonging

to the Ekiti SUBEB by Fayemi and others was described as a criminal

act,  that violated Section 11(2) of UBE Act 2004. It was also on the

basis of this financial crime that UBEC suspended Ekiti State from

accessing any further FGN-UBE Intervention Fund.
“In another letter written on September 11, 2015, with Ref. No.

PB/894/5, to the EFCC, which was acknowledge urging the commission to

investigate  all the various petitions submitted to it on the

fraudulent acts perpetrated by the immediate past APC government in

the State has not seen the light of the day but rather,  the EFCC is

running after vocal opponents of the APC like me, Ayodele Fayose.

“I wish to state unequivocally, that no amount of intimidation,

harassment, investigation, coercion, will make me stop speaking on

behalf of the common who freely gave their mandate to the APC, who are

now daily failing them.
“Furthermore, it is on record that on August 11, 2015, the EFCC came

up with an investigation report on the bribery allegation against Yobe

State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident

Electoral Commissioner (REC), Habu Hinna Zarma.
“In its own report, the EFCC said N15 million was indeed deposited

into the INEC REC Diamond Bank Plc (account number 0029126751) and

Zenith Bank Plc (account number 1001127288) by the Aide-de-Camp (ADC)

to Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, Assistant Superintendent of

Police, Zakari Deba and one Bamaaji Mohammed Kukawa.

“Despite that as at April 8, 2015 that the N8 million was lodged into

the INEC REC Diamond Bank account, only N28, 143.60 was in the account

and the REC personally cashed N600, 000 on April 9, 2015, the EFCC

only recommended the duo of ASP Zakari Deba (Yobe State Governor's

ADC) and Bamaaji Mohammed Kukawa for prosecution.
“It will however interest Nigerians that 10 months after, those that

EFCC by its own investigations, recommended for prosecution are yet to

be charged to court!.. isn’t this interesting?

“Nigerians must therefore begin to ask the EFCC why it has refused to

act on petitions against APC members. Why is EFCC only interested in

how PDP funded its elections? Was the fund used for President Buhari's

election gotten from the spirit world? Is EFCC now for persecution of

PDP members? Must everyone that is not in the APC be subject of EFCC

harassment?
“Can Nigerians forget in a jiffy the activities of most people in the

cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari who ran their states aground in

an effort to funding  president Muhammadu Buhari election.

“Please, can we ask the current government, who paid for all the

chartered aircrafts used for the campaign, the payment for all

logistics for the campaign?
“It is now obvious that the current government is all out to move

against and silence all voices in the opposition.
“We have examples in the detention of Femi Fani-Kayode, the

persecution of Olisa Metuh the immediate past National Publicity

Secretary of the PDP.
“Nigerians should also be reminded of the way and manner EFCC was ran

when its present Chairman, Ibrahim Magu was the Head of Economic

Governance Unit during the tenure of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. It was then

that impeachment of governors was plotted, hatched and executed within

the four walls of the EFCC.
“It is worthy of note that I was among the governors whose illegal

impeachment was orchestrated by the EFCC with the active connivance of

Magu and the Ekiti SAN self acclaimed human right activists who is

once again the coordinator of the current conspiracy against my

person.
“I was unjustly arrested, humiliated and  incarcerated for  50 days

both in EFCC cell and Ikoyi Prison over allegations of phoney poultry

allegation that they could not prove in the law court at the long run

as I was discharged and acquited.
“I just want to alert all Nigerians that they are at it again, but

they will not succeed and I will not surrender nor lose my voice as a

result of their harassment.
“I 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 and I will not be intimidated!

“I have not heard in the history of election anywhere in the world

where elections are conducted without funding.
“I wish to state that there was no government funding of my election,

as my election was funded purely by the private sector and organised

donations within and outside the party.
“The Buhari led administration should also be gracious enough to prove

to all Nigerians that their election was not funded by public funds

that has been linked to them, but which the EFCC is looking away.

“The current government should be mindful that what goes round comes round.

“Those who are presently in charge of the Federal Government should be

mindful of the fact that we all own Nigeria together and all Nigerians

cannot belong to the APC.
“As a government, we have been transparent in the running of Ekiti

State, and for this, Ekiti State was rated as the Most Transparent

State in Nigeria in terms of transparency in budgeting by Civil

Resources Development Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC) in conjunction

with the British Department for International Development (DFID).

“Nigeria has gotten to a level where those of us holding powers should

operate beyond politics and corruption fight should not be only about

those who are not on the same page with the federal government.

“Rather, it should be inclusive of everyone, irrespective of political

affiliation and must be done in accordance with the rule of law.”

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