Fayose threatens to name those who funded his campaign

The Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, has threatened to name those who financed his governorship election in 2014 if they fail to stand up to the harassment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

READ: EFCC freezes Fayose's personal bank account

In a statement in response to EFCC’s allegation that he benefited from the illegal largesse from the office of the National Security Adviser under Sambo Dasuki, Mr. Fayose, on Wednesday, gave indications as to the sources of finances for his election.

According to him, Zenith Bank Plc largely funded his election, along with friends and associates who donated to his campaign.

The EFCC, in justifying its restriction on the account of the governor, said it had traced funds from the office of the NSA to the accounts of Mr. Fayose and, Musiliu Obanikoro, who is a former Minister of State for Defence.

The commission said the funds, amounting to about N4.7billion, was moved from accounts operated by two of Mr. Obanikoro’s sons where it was transferred to Mr. Fayose’s Zenith Bank account.

But the governor denied the allegation, saying he had no link with monies from the NSA’s office for which Mr. Dasuki and other leaders in the last PDP government are currently facing trial.

“I wish to state further that if it becomes evidently clear that those who willingly provided money for my election can no longer stand by what they did, may be because of threat from the EFCC, I will not hesitate to name names,” he said.

READ: Immunity does not cover Fayose's bank accounts - EFCC

The governor also hinted that the bank only last week collected the identity card of Abiodun Agbele, the holder of the account through which it funded his campaign, in desperation to perfect the account apparently after submitting to the harassment of the EFCC.

“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,” the governor declared.

“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.”

Mr. Fayose also alleged that the bank opened the account for the purpose of the election, and requested him to present a trusted ally with which it would relate with.

“In actual fact, the account was opened by Zenith Bank hurriedly at that time and Abiodun Agbele’s identity card which ought to have been collected before the account was opened was only collected last week in the bank’s desperation to perfect the account obviously after submitting to the intimidation and harassment of the EFCC,” he said.

The governor described the EFCC’s case against him as “persecution” and a violation of his immunity, urging the anti-graft agency to also beam its searchlights on the funding of the campaigns of the campaigns of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The PDP Governors Forum has rallied behind Mr. Fayose condemning the action of the EFCC, particularly the restriction placed on the governor’s bank account.