Ayodele Fayose, 57 is not an obscure person in Nigeria’s politics. He has been Governor of Ekiti State, Southwest of Nigeria twice during the current political dispensation that started in 1999. He had defeated Niyi Adebayo in the 2003 guvernatorial election to become the State Governor. However, he was impeached in October 2016 and for a while, he was in some political oblivion, erupting from time to time to ‘threaten’ that he would one day reclaim his mandate that he felt the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo took away from him. Yes! He resurfaced in 2014 to face the incumbent Governor, Kayode Fayemi whom he defeated in an off season gubernatorial election.
Fayose spent most of the four years in power letting everyone know that he is one of the most vocal critic of President Muhammadu Buhari. Howerver, while he was wading through his many controversies in addition to his face off with Buhari who never bothered to reply his tantrums, a big issue of receiving huge sums of money for his campaign from the office of the National Security Adviser crept on to his path. The revelations came tumbling down that he received from the Federal Government, billions of Naira and millions of dollars, preparatory to his re-election in June 2014.
Under the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, Fayose enjoyed immunity as sitting Governor. He was above prosecution during that period. Nevertheless, he knew that as soon as he stepped out of office, he would be slammed with charges of corruptly collecting Federal funds prior to the gubernatorial election that he eventually won.
On October 16, 2018, his term in office expired. The same Kayode Fayemi that he defeated in 2014 would replace him as Governor. Fayose had done everything within and outside the books to enthrone his deputy, Olusola Eleka as his successor; but he suffered from protests from supporters of his party, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP because of the manner he was alleged to have outwitted all other aspirants to ensure that Eleka was the candidate of the party. The campaign against him was formidable more so that his government was not up-to-date in payment of salaries to the State Government workers and teachers just as pensioners were being owed several months arrears of their monthly stipends.
There is a relevant Yoruba proverb (Fayose is a Yoruba man, the ethnic group of the Southwest) quite apt in the former Governor’s case. It says that an event anticipatorily fixed for 20 years hence will ultimately remain only one more day before it takes place. Ogun odun mbo wa ku ola. Fayose wallowed in his immunity until his time to leave office was nigh. A few days after his comical farewell to the people of Ekiti State, he went with an entourage of sympathizers, mainly from the top echelon of PDP to the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC in Abuja to report himself to the Commission. Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike was in the entourage. He wore a black vest with the inscription, “EFCC I’m Here”. He carried along with him a bag of his personal effects knowing fully well that he will spend some days with his interrogators. Meanwhile, the Commission had gone ahead of him to court to obtain order for his detention pending his arraignment in a court of competent jurisdiction.
Ayodele Fayose arriving flamboyantly at EFCC Headquarters in Abuja
Today, Fayose was taken to a Federal High Court in Lagos to answer charges of N30.8 billion fraud. His plea was taken. He pleaded not guilty to an 11-count charges preferred against him. His lead Counsel, Kanu Agabi filed a motion for his release on bail. EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo informed the court that he had received the motion but he needed time to study it. The bail hearing before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun will be on Wednesday, 24th October. The prosecution has lined up 22 witnesses that will give evidence against him including Musliu Obanikoro, the Minister of State for Defence under the Goodluck Jonathan Administration. Obanikoro was believed to be the man who ferried the money in question to Fayose.
You may want to know the details of the charges against the former Ekiti State Governor. Find this under the category, Issues in the News
