The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has said it has been vindicated in its claim that Governor Ayodele Fayose has been spending the state’s money to allegedly prosecute his private legal matter with the EFCC.
The party said its claim in the July 19, 2016 press release alleging that the party was in possession of information that N22m spent to charter airplane to convey the governor’s lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) from Lagos to Akure airport, was allegedly taken from the state’s treasury is not a hoax.
On Tuesday, EFCC froze Ozekhome’s account, alleging that the N75m traced to his account was a proceed of crime.
The senior lawyer kicked, arguing that the money found by anti-graft agency in his Guaranty Trust Bank was the proceed of professional fees paid by Governor Ayodele Fayose and his aides for services he is rendering for them in several court cases.
But responding in a press statement in Ado-Ekiti, APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, faulted Ozekhome’s claim, arguing that the senior lawyer was not telling the truth by saying that he was handling cases on behalf of Fayose and his aides from which he was paid N75m out of the N100m he charged.
Olatunbosun said: “I will be ready to testify about the timing and accuracy of what we are talking about. Even yesterday, (Wednesday) Fayose paid Ozekhome another undisclosed amount of money which was carted away in a black Prado Jeep with covered plate no with an escort vehicle. We are monitoring him. Ekiti people are suffering while Fayose fritters their money away on personal matters.”
He insisted that Ozekhome was only handling an EFCC case against Fayose, arguing that the ggovernor’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, was the only governor’s aide in court over libel against former Governor Kayode Fayemi, who is also the Minister for Mines and Steel Development.
“We challenge Ozekhome to name Fayose’s aides he is representing in court besides Lere Olayinka, who was only served court summons on February 1, 2017.
“EFCC must tell Nigerians the date it discovered that N75m was paid into Ozekhome’s account, including telling Nigerians the exact date that Fayose and his aides paid money into the account of the lawyer.
“If it is discovered that the money was paid before February 1, 2017, then it means the money is not a legal fee for Fayose’s aide because it was on that day that Lere Olayinka was served a court summons and Ozekhome has not up till now made any appearance of behalf of Fayose’s aide in court on the matter,” he explained.
Olatunbosun insisted that Fayose had allegedly been spending state funds for his case against EFCC, stressing that “It is good that Mike Ozekhome has confessed that he was paid by Fayose for his legal services, which confirms our earlier claim that Ozekhome flew from Lagos to Akure, Ondo State capital, twice since the beginning of the EFCC case, all at the expense of the state government.
“We gathered from a reliable source that a warrant for the payment of N22 million being the cost of chartered aircraft that flew Ozekhome twice from Lagos to Akure was issued and the money released almost immediately by the office of the Accountant General
“The N22 million is outside of the legal fee, which has been reportedly paid to Ozekhome by the state government, to pursue a personal matter for the governor whose private account was frozen.
“Diverting state funds for over-priced fees for personal matters of the governor is nothing but money laundering, the reality that Ozekhome must live with instead of gallivanting and grandstanding to save face.”
“Fayose is fond of using state funds for his personal affairs as it is the case with the EFCC, the same way he has been spending state’s money on adverts in several newspapers to abuse President Muhammadu Buhari,” Olatunbosun explained.
He also accused Fayose of appropriating the state’s funds as his personal money, citing IGR cash balances allegedly kept in secret accounts that were only known to the governor.
“Fayose has taken corrupt practices in government to a ridiculous height by renting out his personal house in Abuja to the State Government to be used as Abuja Government House for eight years at N50 million per annum, even though Ekiti State Government has a befitting guest house and hotel called the NANET SUITES in the Federal capital.
“Fayose and his counsel should be reminded that it is a financial crime to use state funds for personal matters and we wish to invite the EFCC to quiz the state Accountant General and the Cabinet Office over this abuse of office and flagrant violation of financial regulations,” he concluded.
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