From Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti
EKITI State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, Aisha, to visit the United States of America to convince Nigerians that she was not the person mentioned in the Halliburton scam.
Congressman William Jefferson was indicted and jailed for his involvement in the scam.
Fayose said: “It is on record that the president has visited the USA three times and his wife did not travel with him. Equally, she ought to have visited USA last year September to chair a United Nations’ programme but, she sent the wife of the Senate president, Mrs Toyin Saraki to represent her.
Fayose has also debunked allegations that the freezing of his personal accounts on Monday was connected with the arms scandal that involves former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki.
Fayose disclosed his election of June 21, 2014 was funded partly by Zenith Bank Plc, fund raising, donations from friends and associates as well as sale of campaign souvenirs.
On Monday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) froze Fayose’s bank account as part of investigation into his alleged link with the arms scandal. Dismissing the allegation as spurious, yesterday, Fayose, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, said: “I had no financial transaction whatsoever with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) under Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) and former minister of state for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro either by cash, cheque or electronic transfer.”
“The management of Zenith Bank, which majorly funded my election, called me to a meeting where I was assured that fund will be provided for my election. I was asked to nominate a trusted ally to be related with and I nominated Mr. Abiodun Agbele.
“All the payments into Agbele’s account domiciled in Zenith Bank were directly from the bank. “Most of the funds posted into Agbele’s account were through the Ibadan, Akure and Lagos branches of the Zenith Bank and sometimes; they brought cash.
“Assuming, but not conceding that cash moved from Lagos to Akure as being claimed by the EFCC, meant for my election in Ekiti, why was the cash not moved to Ado Ekiti branch of Zenith Bank or the cash handed to me directly?
“Why was it deposited into Zenith Bank, Akure and did the bank make any report on the transaction to the appropriate authorities? Why did the bank send its bullion van to move the money from Akure Airport to their Akure branch if it was illegal money?
“I must say it categorically that I don’t have any link financially with Obanikoro and I know as a fact that he (Obanikoro) has not; and cannot mention my name, as beneficiary of whatever money any company in which he has interest could have got from the ONSA if truly Obanikoro collected money from the ONSA as being claimed by the EFCC.
“Therefore, Obanikoro and his son’s narrative or that the Zenith Bank is telling different stories, having been blackmailed and coerced into submission by the EFCC is a joke that will not fly.
“I wish to state further that if it becomes evidently clear that those who willingly provided money for my election can no longer stand by what they did, maybe because of threat from the EFCC, I will not hesitate to name names.”
The governor, who challenged the EFCC to also beam its searchlights on the funding of APC elections, especially that of President Buhari.
He said: “Since we are now in the era in which financial assistance from Nigerians to fund elections is being criminalised, the international community, especially those funding EFCC must insist that the commission probes the funding of APC elections before further funds are released to the commission.”