EFCC Freezes Gov Fayose’s Account | Says Immunity does not Prevent Investigation of “Suspicious accounts”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has frozen the account of the governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, saying that they are investigating suspicious movements of money into his account.

Governor Fayose announced the restriction on his account via his twitter hand on Monday. He said:

My personal Account of at Zenith Bank has been frozen courtesy of Buhari led APC tyrannical govt.

— Peter Ayodele Fayose (@GovAyoFayose) June 20, 2016

The governor in a press release by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi said that some leaders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and a prominent Ekiti lawyer were the brains behind the restriction.

The statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES read:

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 thieves in the APC.

A lot of petitions were written against former Governor Kayode Fayemi and the EFCC has not asked him a question up till now. The diversion of N850 million fund meant for Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board is there and nobody is asking Fayemi questions.

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.

According to Vanguard, the EFCC, reacting to the claim that he cannot be investigated as a result of his immunity as a sitting governor, through its spokesperson Wilson Uwajaren said that:

“Immunity does not prevent EFCC from investigating suspicious accounts of those enjoying immunity and Fayose cannot be an exception.”