By Nasir Kura
The Peoples Democratic Party has alleged that the President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to detain the ex-Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, indefinitely.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said information at the party’s disposal indicated that the Presidency had put the commission on alert to arrest the governor at midnight and detain him indefinitely.
He said the alleged directive by the Presidency was not unconnected with the plot to use the EFCC and other security agencies to incarcerate the governor owing to his persistent criticism of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress government.
The statement read in part, “This uncompromising stand of the ex-governor against the present administration was the reason Ekiti State was invaded and taken by force during the last governorship election.
“By 12 midnight, the governor’s residence is expected to be surrounded by armed men of the EFCC under the pretext that they had information of his plot to escape. This is to achieve their plan to humiliate the governor and portray him in a bad light to the public by dramatising his arrest.
“Nigerians can recall that it was the governor who offered to submit himself to the EFCC despite the commission’s clear display of bias and partisanship as demonstrated in its various actions, especially its tweets and putting the governor on security watch-list.”
It added, “The EFCC even unprofessionally showed its bias in deriding the governor, making light of a very serious matter by mocking him and asking him to come before his tenure elapsed, which the governor declined in line with the constitutional immunity.”
He said it was obvious that Fayose was not planning to run away from the country.
“It is now beyond dispute that Governor Fayose is not a scoundrel running away from justice. Whatever the EFCC, APC, and the Presidency’s spin-doctors may say, it is also clear to everyone that Fayose is not a coward; neither is he afraid of the EFCC,” Ologbondiyan added.
He argued that since the EFCC said it had dusted up Fayose’s files, it should be ready to take him to court once he appeared at the agency’s office on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists, however, Fayose said he was ready for the commission.
He said, “That is their stock in trade, I heard about the plot as well but I don’t care what they do, the commission is not above the law. How can they say I want to run away and as such, they want to come and invade my residence when I left Ado Ekiti on my own to come and see them; any way, I don’t expect better than that from the commission
“I don’t care how long they will decide to keep me but my voice will not go down, I represent the voice of the common people of Nigeria, I appreciate our party, the PDP, for their prompt reaction but this nonsense will come to an end one day.
“I am aware of that operational order on my arrest, let them come, nobody can intimidate me, I don’t need their soft landing, Nigeria belongs to all of us, they are not God and they should stop playing one.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has however said it has no time to play games with Fayose.
The spokesman for the EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said this in a message while reacting to Fayose’s statement.
Fayose and the Peoples Democratic Party had alleged that the commission was planning to storm Fayose’s home once his tenure expired at midnight.
However, the EFCC said, “The EFCC has no time for frivolity. Instead of this ’mind game’ Ayodele Fayose should conserve his energy as the commission is ready for him.”
