Governor says no one can stop him from speaking “freely”

The governor made the comments while addressing journalists in Abuja on Sunday, June 20, 2016.

Read Fayose’s address below:

I called you here to intimate the public through your various medium, the new clandestine plot by the President Muhammadu Buhari led All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government to destabilise the Ekiti State Government, using the instrumentalities of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Recall that a lot has been said about my election. First they said it was photochromic and later militarization. The election was challenged up to the Supreme Court and I came out victorious. Remember too that international observers including the US Govt applauded the election.

However, those who lost the election adjudged as free, fair and credible are yet to accept the will of God and the people of Ekiti State. A few days ago, we got it on good authority that there was a meeting with some politicians from Ekiti State, including an Ekiti born Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and self-professed human rights activist by agents of the Federal government, with the agenda solely, on how to bring down my administration as the governor of the state.

Activities of these elements that are obviously afraid of facing another electoral defeat in 2018 are being coordinated through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir Lawal and the Attorney General of the Federation.

Certain top functionaries of the Ekiti State government and some important members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, and some associates of mine, have now been pencilled down for arrest and indefinite detention by the EFCC under the guise of investigating the funds spent by the PDP on the June 21, 2014 governorship election and the Presidential election.

The game plan is to make those to be arrested get detained indefinitely, forced to make statements incriminating me, while at the same time feeding the public with orchestrated fake reports, using their usual media organs.

This is coming after their failure to use the Department of State Services (DSS) to coerce members of the State House of Assembly to buy into the impeachment plot against me with a view to silencing me being a major voice of the opposition.

The plot to arrest and detain indefinitely my Chief of Staff, Chief Dipo Anisulowo and four honourable members of the state House of Assembly for treason. To achieve this sinister plot against the government and people of Ekiti State, we have been informed that some of their trusted allies in the EFCC have been mobilised to move to Ekiti any moment from now.

I, however, wish to advise them to keep their gun powder dry and should not be in a hurry, but rather, wait till the end of my tenure in 2018. As a man known to keeping to his words, I want to assure them that I will be available to answer any of their questions, no matter how unreasonable.

While we are not afraid of persecution from anyone or government agency, including the EFCC and DSS, I wish to state that the level at which the Buhari-led Federal Government is taking political vendetta and muzzling of opposition both in the PDP and within the APC, is dangerous to the survival of democracy in the country.

Most importantly, Nigerians must begin to ask the EFCC what has happened to the several petitions against APC leaders and financiers of President Buhari’s election, including former governors. For instance, on September 29, 2014, the EFCC received a petition against former governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi and other APC top-shots in Ekiti State. In the petition written by a group; Save Ekiti Coalition, six major complaints bordering on fraudulent practices were made with various documents attached.

I wish to state unequivocally, that no amount of intimidation, harassment, investigation, coercion, will make me stop speaking on behalf of the common who freely gave their mandate to the APC, who are now daily failing them.

Nigerians must therefore begin to ask the EFCC why it has refused to act on petitions against APC members. Why is EFCC only interested in how PDP funded its elections? Was the fund used for President Buhari’s election gotten from the spirit world? Is EFCC now for persecution of PDP members? Must everyone that is not in the APC be subject of EFCC harassment?

Can Nigerians forget in a jiffy the activities of most people in the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari who ran their states aground in an effort to funding president Muhammadu Buhari election. Please, can we ask the current government, who paid for all the chartered aircrafts used for the campaign, the payment for all logistics for the campaign?

It is now obvious that the current government is all out to move against and silence all voices in the opposition.

I wish to state that there was no government funding of my election, as my election was funded purely by the private sector and organised donations within and outside the party.

The Buhari led administration should also be gracious enough to prove to all Nigerians that their election was not funded by public funds that has been linked to them, but which the EFCC is looking away. The current government should be mindful that what goes round comes round.

Those who are presently in charge of the Federal Government should be mindful of the fact that we all own Nigeria together and all Nigerians cannot belong to the APC.