Gov. Ayo Fayose
In a statement signed by Idowu Adelusi, the Ekiti state governor's chief press secretary, Ayodele Fayose, has said that it is obvious that he has become the headache of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, but not even threats to his life will make him to stop speaking his mind.
The outspoken accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of “acting a movie scripted President Buhari just to silence him”, and challenged the anti-graft agency to go after Sahara Energy which allegedly donated $60 million to the campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the election.
“It is obvious I have become the main headache of President Buhari’s government… what they are doing now is part of their grand plots to intimidate and harass me into submission but I am not someone that can be cowed by threats of incarceration and death.
“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. I will not be intimidated!
“I advise that they should keep their gun pounder 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.”
While speaking on the alleged involvement of Buhari’s wife in the Halliburton scam, the governor challenged her to visit the U.S to convince Nigerians that she was not the Aisha Buhari mentioned in the judgment convicting William Jefferson.
He alleged that she had been running away from America, saying Buhari has gone to the country thrice in the last one year, without taking his wife, adding that Aisha delegated Toyin Saraki, wife of the senate president to a programme she was supposed to attend in the US.
“It is on record that the President has visited USA three times and his wife did not travel with him. Equally, she ought to have visited USA last year September to chair a United Nation programme but she sent wife of the Senate President, Mrs Toyin Saraki to represent her,” a part of the statement read.
The governor also denied receiving any money from the office of Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser, and Musiliu Obanikoro, former minister of defence, for his election.
“I have no financial transaction whatsoever with the office of the national security adviser (ONSA) under Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro either by cash, cheque or electronic transfer.
“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 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.
“Therefore, bringing Obanikoro and his son’s narrative or that the Zenith Bank is telling different stories, having been blackmailed and coerced into submission by the EFCC is a joke that will not fly,” Fayose said.