Fayose condemns EFCC over Governor Yari, Says; “Anti-graft agency blackmailing governors with Paris Club Refunds”

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.

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