Fayose’s drama queen stunt shouldn’t distract the EFCC from prosecuting him

There comes a time in a man’s life when you need to step back, examine your life, do some soul searching, get serious for once and ask yourself tough questions. Not Fayose. He just isnt wired that way.

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, stepped into the premises of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, bags packed for a sleep-over while spotting a black T-Shirt screaming with the inscription: “EFCC, I’m here”.

It was petty, attention seeking stunt from Fayose and he sure got his wish as news sites fell over themselves to break the story of his T-Shirt appearance, while relegating the substance of the EFCC case against him to the background.

It was the culmination of a long drawn drama between the anti-graft agency and Fayose whose tenure as Governor of Ekiti came to an end this week. Fayose spent the better part of the last two months riling up, goading and daring the EFCC to arrest him.

Eventually, he promised the EFCC that he was going to show up at their office on the day a new governor is inaugurated to succeed him. It was a promise he kept with all of the drama and attention he has become famous for.

It is easy for everyone to get distracted in the midst of all the Fayose drama. The main issue here is that Fayose is under investigation for fraud to the tune of N1.3billion.

For readers who haven’t been following, here’s a brief recap of the case:

In 2005, the EFCC filed a N1.3bn fraud case against then Governor Fayose over the integrated poultry project. The project involved the building of four poultry farms in four centres in Ekiti by the state government.

Prosecutors say Fayose’s childhood friend, Gbenga James, was awarded the contract for the project.

However, the money wasn’t spent on the project, according to prosecutors. Instead, the N1.3billion was reportedly used to build a house in Ibadan for Fayose and to purchase a Mercedes Benz worth N2.1million for Fayose’s mother, among other things.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo (still a sworn enemy of Fayose) who sent the EFCC after Fayose at the time, made sure he was impeached as Ekiti Governor on October 16, 2006, to pave the way for his imminent prosecution because serving governors are immune from trial.

When investigations commenced into the case, an impeached Fayose fled the country.

In 2014, Fayose won another term as governor and put the EFCC prosecution on ice. The EFCC has been waiting impatiently for Fayose’s second term to end before flipping open his case file. Rather than wait for the EFCC to come for him, Fayose took himself to the EFCC as a way of making it look like he is innocent of the charge and that he is no coward.

Fayose is also being investigated for allegedly sharing in the Sambo Dasuki loot of the Goodluck Jonathan era. Investigators say part of the slush fund from Dasuki was handed to Fayose to rig the Ekiti governorship election for the PDP in 2014.

The EFCC shouldn’t be swayed or distracted by Fayose’s tantrums and drama queen persona. There are fraud cases to be cracked here. Nigerians and investigators should keep their eyes on the ball. No banner screaming T-Shirt should stop the EFCC now. The truth is still out there.