TheCable

Ayodele Fayose, governor of Ekiti state, has asked Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to release the probe panel report on the suspended duo of Babachir Lawal, secretary to the government of the federation, and Ayo Oke, director-general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

Oke was suspended after his agency claimed ownership of the monies discovered in an Ikoyi apartment while Lawal was suspended over his indictment for corruption by the senate committee on the humanitarian crisis in the north-east.

A panel headed by Osinbajo was subsequently set up to investigate the duo.

In a letter written to the acting president which was dated July 11, 2017, Fayose threatened to ask the court to compel Osinbajo to release details of the report.

Lere Olayinka, the governor’s spokesperson, made the details of the letter known in a statement issued on Sunday.

The statement quoted the governor as condemning the manner the matter is being handled, adding that  “both men (Oke and Lawal) should have been handed over the two men to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for investigation and arraignment

“Fortunately and unfortunately, President Buhari has been away on medical tourism for most part of this year and as the acting president, the buck now stops on your desk. Your Excellency, Nigerians demand two actions from you: First is that you release the report of the corruption investigation, which you presided over. Secondly is that you act expeditiously on the report,” the letter read.

“May I advise, Your Excellency, that you should never habour the view that this matter can swept under the carpet for two reasons. One is that Nigerians are not unmindful of the outcome of your investigation even if it has not been officially released. Two is that should you fail to release the report and act on it, I shall approach the law court to compel you to do so.

“Your Excellency, as a Law professor and senior advocate of Nigeria, Your Excellency must not be associated with illegalities and cover-ups; not to talk of your highly exalted position as a man of God who must speak truth at all times and uphold the Biblical admonition to let justice flow like the mighty river.

“I have refused to agree with those who, on account of your egregious stance on the EFCC boss, Ibrahim Magu’s continued but illegal stay in office; posit that the hood does not make the monk and a chain of titles and degrees does not translate to sound judgment. Kindly take up the challenge to prove those doubting Thomases wrong.”

While condemning the “slap-on-the-wrist treatment” given to the duo, Fayose said the case would have been different had it involved members of the opposition “who are always witch-hunted”.

“In fact, PDP members and non-members of the ruling APC alleged to be corrupt, such as judges, are first harassed, haunted, hounded, arrested and locked up, tried and convicted in the media and visited with public lynching while the Department of State Service (DSS) and the EFCC take their time to search for or conjure evidence against them,” the letter further read.

“So reckless and audacious had your government become in this regard that a serving senator who is a member of your party said on the floor of the senate that your government uses insecticides when dealing with alleged cases of corruption involving members of the opposition but applies deodorant when members of the ruling party are involved.

“I dare to say that this is one of the reasons the so-called war against corruption has not attracted public support. It lacks credibility and has, thus floundered. It is also the reason your administration has lost case after case in the court of law, even though administration officials have tried to cover government’s Achilles heel as well as their own howling incompetence under the pretence of corruption fighting back.”