Fayose has no business with how we operate, says EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says Ayodele Fayose, governor of Ekiti state, cannot determine how it operates.

Wilson Uwujaren said this in response to inquiries by TheCable on Fayose’s accusation that the agency is fighting its anti-graft war through “trial and error”.

“I will not respond to that because Fayose has no business with how the EFCC runs its operation,” Uwujaren told TheCable.

The governor had alleged that operatives of the commission had stormed the hotel where he lodges in Abuja, which they felt belonged to him, with the intention of sealing it, only to discover that it belongs to a retired military officer.

“Officials of the EFCC stormed a popular Guest House on Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja to seal off the property believing that Governor Fayose owned the Guest House only for the EFCC officials to be confronted with the fact that operator of the Guest House leased the property from its owner for ten years,” read a statement issued on the governor’s behalf by Lere Olayinka, his spokesman.

“It was at the point of sealing off the property that the owner of the Guest House told the EFCC officials that he only leased the property for ten years from its owner, a former chief of defence staff, who was also a one-time minister of defence.

“The EFCC operatives moved to the next building to the guest house, which is the residence of the retired army general and they were told by the general’s wife that the building being used as guest house as well the one next to it belonged to the general and not Governor Fayose.

“It is shocking that in its desperate bid to nail Governor Fayose so as to satisfy their paymasters, EFCC is going about claiming that properties owned by other law abiding Nigerians are owned by the governor and the result of this investigation by trial and error by the EFCC is the embarrassment it faced at Gana Street, Maitama.

“That was the same way they told Nigerians that they discovered mansion in Asokoro, Abuja owned by the governor. Unknown to the EFCC, the mansion being referred to is a property rented by the Ekiti state government and being used as governor’s lodge.”

Fayose has been increasingly critical of the EFcc since last month when his personal accounts with Zenith Bank were frozen.