Fayose Blasts EFCC for Subjecting Yari to Media Trial

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has accused the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of bias and vindictiveness
for allegedly accusing Zamfara State Governor and Chairman of the
Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, of looting
N500million and $500,000 from the Paris Club refunds allocated to
his state.

It has been widely reported in the media that the anti-graft
agency had accused Yari of diverting the monies from the NGF’s bank
account to build a hotel in Lagos.

Commenting on the EFCC’s position wednesday in Ado Ekiti, Fayose
said: “The EFCC has become a lawless organisation. They are fond of
destroying people’s reputation. This is most uncharitable. How
would you compensate the man if at the end of the day, those
allegations, are found to be untrue.

“The EFCC is now being used for settling personal scores. A
cabal has hijacked the commission and the fraud in EFCC is second
to none.
“Rather than doing the right things, they are muzzling the
judiciary and blaming it for losing cases in court when they have
no concrete evidence.

“Today, none of the governors has been called or questioned
because of the immunity. A man you have not listened to his own
side of the story, you are accusing him and engaging him in media
trial because he has an independent mind. Nigerians are not
gullible; they would ask questions.”

Fayose said he was not surprised at the activities of the
commission because of the antecedents of President Muhammadu
Buhari, whom he accused of imposing the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim
Magu, on Nigerians.

“I warned Nigerians about this government. They started with
politicians and moved to breaking houses of judges and lawyers.
“That was why I said Buhari did not deserve to lead Nigeria. When a
wicked man is leading, a lot of evil will be perpetuated under his
watch,” he said.

Fayose said the NGF would meet soon to review the situation to
save Nigerians from further harassment and political witch-hunt in
the hands of the operatives of the commission.

“This is humiliation and character assassination of our
chairman. We reject it. The governors’ forum is a reputable
organisation. Why not keep your gun powder dry and wait for
hearing, and confront him with evidence.

“This is why they are asking for special courts so that they can
shop for compromised judges that will do their bidding and be
jailing people for them. Now those judges have also had bad
experiences in the hands of the commission, which will serve as an
eye opener to the rot in the agency – an organisation that does not
obey court order.

“Yari remains our chairman, and we will meet and discuss this.
Most of the people in EFCC are not educated. Some civil rights
lawyers are now collecting bribe on behalf of the operatives.

“The EFCC must be tamed. They are pursuing vendetta. What do you
expect when their chairman is not cleared by the Senate? Currently
as constituted, the EFCC does not exist in principle because their
chairman has not been cleared. Their activities remain a nullity,”
the governor declared.

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has accused the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of bias and vindictiveness
for allegedly accusing Zamfara State Governor and Chairman of the
Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, of looting
N500million and $500,000 from the Paris Club refunds allocated to
his state.

It has been widely reported in the media that the anti-graft
agency had accused Yari of diverting the monies from the NGF’s bank
account to build a hotel in Lagos.

Commenting on the EFCC’s position wednesday in Ado Ekiti, Fayose
said: “The EFCC has become a lawless organisation. They are fond of
destroying people’s reputation. This is most uncharitable. How
would you compensate the man if at the end of the day, those
allegations, are found to be untrue.

“The EFCC is now being used for settling personal scores. A
cabal has hijacked the commission and the fraud in EFCC is second
to none.
“Rather than doing the right things, they are muzzling the
judiciary and blaming it for losing cases in court when they have
no concrete evidence.

“Today, none of the governors has been called or questioned
because of the immunity. A man you have not listened to his own
side of the story, you are accusing him and engaging him in media
trial because he has an independent mind. Nigerians are not
gullible; they would ask questions.”

Fayose said he was not surprised at the activities of the
commission because of the antecedents of President Muhammadu
Buhari, whom he accused of imposing the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim
Magu, on Nigerians.

“I warned Nigerians about this government. They started with
politicians and moved to breaking houses of judges and lawyers.
“That was why I said Buhari did not deserve to lead Nigeria. When a
wicked man is leading, a lot of evil will be perpetuated under his
watch,” he said.

Fayose said the NGF would meet soon to review the situation to
save Nigerians from further harassment and political witch-hunt in
the hands of the operatives of the commission.

“This is humiliation and character assassination of our
chairman. We reject it. The governors’ forum is a reputable
organisation. Why not keep your gun powder dry and wait for
hearing, and confront him with evidence.

“This is why they are asking for special courts so that they can
shop for compromised judges that will do their bidding and be
jailing people for them. Now those judges have also had bad
experiences in the hands of the commission, which will serve as an
eye opener to the rot in the agency – an organisation that does not
obey court order.

“Yari remains our chairman, and we will meet and discuss this.
Most of the people in EFCC are not educated. Some civil rights
lawyers are now collecting bribe on behalf of the operatives.

“The EFCC must be tamed. They are pursuing vendetta. What do you
expect when their chairman is not cleared by the Senate? Currently
as constituted, the EFCC does not exist in principle because their
chairman has not been cleared. Their activities remain a nullity,”
the governor declared.