Halliburton Scandal: Aisha Buhari Sues Fayose to Court

Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari has sued People's Democratic Party chieftain and Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose to court over defamation.

Following the expiration of the grace period given Aisha Buhari to Governor Ayodele Fayose over her involvement in the Halliburton scandal, the wife of the Nigerian President has sued him to court.

Mr. Fayose had in June said Mrs. Buhari was the “Aisha Buhari” named in a U.S. court document, alleged to have been involved in a bribery case involving a convicted former U.S. lawmaker, Williams Jefferson.

 

This led to a bitter Twitter message by Aisha Buhari who called Fayose an "Unchained mad dog". The tough critic of her husband, Muhammadu Buhari refused to retract his indicting statements and reaffirmed his allegations by challenging her to visit the United States of America which she has intelligently avoided due to fear of arrest by the U.S authorities.

Meanwhile, The governor, in what appeared to be an error, referred to the scandal as the Halliburton corruption case. The Halliburton case is different from the Williams Jefferson scandal.

But Mr. Fayose insisted he was right despite Mrs. Buhari’s denial and threat of legal action. The court summons, dated July 20, 2016, was exclusively made available to Premium Times.
 

As governor, Mr. Fayose has constitutional immunity against criminal prosecution under the section 308 of the 1999 Nigerian constitution as amended.

Tori News

Account Freezing: Zenith Bank's Letter to Fayose Leaks Online

Sequel to the freezing of the personal bank accounts of Ayodele Fayose on the orders of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Zenith Bank has released a confirmation letter to the embattled governor. 

Governor Ayodele Fayose has received an official letter from Zenith Bank Plc to acknowledge the freezing of his account by the anti-graft body, EFCC on suspicions of fraud.

 

Fayose who is enraged by the perceived act of abuse on his immunity as stipulated in the 1999 constitution of Nigeria has promised to fight out his case in court.

 

He received the letter for the purpose of presenting it as a case against the Federal Government and the security agent in the court of law.

 

See the letter below:

 

Tori News

Gov. Fayose Embarrasses President Buhari in China

Controversial governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose has written to the Chinese President to halt the process of giving loans to the President Buhari-led government.

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has written to the Chinese Government seeking the stoppage of the $2 billion loan being sought by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

It was widely reported that the president's visit to China this week was to discuss the development of the country’s infrastructure, including a $2 billion loan for railway projects.
 

But Fayose said in his letter to President Xi Jinping of China: “The government of China should be mindful of the fact that Nigerians, irrespective of their political and religious affiliations are totally opposed to increment of the country’s debt burden, which is already being serviced with 25 per cent of the Federal Government annual budget.”
 

In the letter dated April 12, 2016, with reference number: EK/GOV/28/10, addressed to President Jinping and delivered by Fayose’s Chief of Staff, Barrister Dipo Anisulowo, in Abuja on Thursday, through the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Gu Xiaojie, the Governor said some of the projects for which the loan was being sought were not captured in the controversial 2016 budget, which has been sent to President Buhari by the National Assembly for his assent.

Anisulowo, who was accompanied by Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Segun Adewumi; the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Gboyega Aribisogan; the Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Dr. Samuel Omotosho; and the Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said Governor Fayose, who is in China, will also deliver a copy of the letter directly to the Chinese President.

The letter reads: “I write as one of the major stakeholders in the project Nigeria, and a governor of one of the federating units making up Nigeria, to draw your attention to report that the Federal Government of Nigeria is on the verge of obtaining a $2 billion loan from the Export-Import Bank of China.

“This $2 billion loan is part of the N1.84 trillion the Federal Government of Nigeria has proposed to borrow to finance the 2016 budget, which is yet to be signed by the President, Mohammadu Buhari owing to unending controversies between the Executive and Legislative arms of government.

“According to reports, Nigeria desires to raise about $5 billion abroad to cover part of its 2016 budget deficit. This is projected to hit N3 trillion ($15 billion) due to heavy infrastructure spending at a time when the slump in global oil prices has slashed the country’s export revenues.

“While conceding that all nations, especially developing ones need support to be able to grow because no nation is an island, I am constrained to inform you that if the future of Nigeria must be protected, the country does not need any loan at this time.

“The government of China should be mindful of the fact that Nigerians, irrespective of their political and religious affiliations are totally opposed to increment of the country’s debt burden, which is already being serviced with 25 per cent of the Federal Government annual budget.

“It will interest the government of China to know that some of the projects for which the loan is being sought are not captured in the controversial 2016 budget, which has been sent to the President by the National Assembly for his assent. For instance, the Lagos – Calabar Rail project was not included in the budget proposal the President presented to the National Assembly and it was not included in the Appropriation Bill passed by the National Assembly.

“Most importantly, Nigeria is presently servicing debt with about 25 per cent of its annual budget and what will happen to the economy in 2017, when the country will begin to service the additional debt to be incurred this year is better imagined than experienced.

“The Chinese government must also be aware that some western nations approached by the Federal Government for loan diplomatically and cleverly declined.

“This must have been informed by the suspicion in the present government’s capacity to salvage the nation’s economy as well as the sincerity in the fight against corruption. More so that Nigeria’s Foreign Reserve, which is the only guarantee for foreign loan has declined to a very uncomfortable level.

“For instance, the UK Telegraph Newspaper reported today that hundreds of millions of pounds of British foreign aid given to Nigeria to help combat Boko Haram terrorists is instead being used to fund a witch-hunt against opposition politicians.

“Therefore, like the foreign aid that is reportedly being mismanaged, whatever loan that is granted to the Federal Government of Nigeria by the Chinese Government may be mismanaged too.

“In my opinion, Nigeria needs the collaboration of the Government of China in the area of technology transfer, rather than granting loan that will be mismanaged under the guise of building infrastructure.

“It is also important for the Government of China to note that the Federal Government of Nigeria claimed to have recovered and still recovering trillions of Naira allegedly looted from the treasury. For instance, over $200 billion is expected to be recovered from Dubai, the United Arab Emirate while N3 trillion was said to have been saved from the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

“The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has also said that it will generate not less than N4.5 trillion this year. What then is the rationale behind the $2 billion loan from China?

“As a result of the government’s bad economic policies, the middle class has been eliminated, power supply is at its lowest ebb, petrol is not available and by the time fresh loans begin to pile up, 95 per cent of Nigerians will definitely be pauperised.

“Particularly, by the autocratic nature of our president, the Federal Government is not prepared to listen to wise counsel, hence the desperation to take unwarranted loans even if the future of Nigeria and its people will be mortgaged.

“It will also interest Your Excellency that our president's visit to china will be his 28th trip outside Nigeria since he assumed office 10 months ago and this unnecessary foreign trip is estimated to have cause the country $50 million.

“I therefore appeal to Your Excellency to assist Nigeria and its people in the area of technology transfer so as to limit importation of goods and services, rather than granting the country unnecessary loan.

“In conclusion, I wish to state that this letter and information became necessary for posterity sake and to put it on record that when the future of Nigeria and its people was going to be mortgaged through loan from the People’s Republic of China, I stood up to be counted in defence of our country.”

 

 

Tori News

APC Game: Gov. Fayose Fingered in the #DasukiGate 'Yam'

The APC has opened a new can of worms in the ongoing arms deal saga as it accused the serving governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose of benefiting from Sambo Dasuki's arms deal cash.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has taken the war of words between the party and the Governor of Ekiti state, Ayo Fayose to a new level as it accused him of benefiting from the arms deal cash.

 

The party challenged Governor Ayo Fayose to say how much he got from the N1.4 billion allegedly collected from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) by a former minister for the June 21, 2014 governorship poll. According to a report by The Nation, the APC claimed that part of the slush funds was used to rig the election in Fayose’s favour.

 

In a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party said: “We are aware that Fayose at that time acquired a N750 million building in a choice area of Abuja from the proceeds of this fund.

“We are equally aware that Fayose submitted a bill of N30 billion to former President Goodluck Jonathan as the amount required to unseat former Governor Kayode Fayemi.

 

“A certain amount was approved for the project out of which soldiers, who were used to rig the election, were paid as well as electoral officials who released the soft copies of sensitive materials to Fayose.

 

“It was when a newspaper reported that N1.4billion was traced to a former minister to rig Ekiti and Osun elections, it was at the same time the said ex-minister ‘sneaked’ out of the country for ‘further education.’ Governor Fayose also travelled out about the same time.

 

“We are demanding that the governor should tell Ekiti people how much he received from the Armsgate money and the property he acquired with the fund.

 

"We also call on the EFCC to beam its searchlight on Fayose to know how much is traceable to him and the governor of a neighbouring state who coordinated the disbursements of the funds.”

 

The APC spokesman said the party was aware that the governor had become paranoid and jittery since the newspaper reported the amount traced to the former minister. He added that all those who shared the arms money should be investigated and prosecuted.

 

However, Fayose is yet to give a rebuttal to the statement even as his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, had said the governor was aware of the plot to muzzle him and others considered as non-conformists because of their opinion and critical stance on the President and his government.

 

“Such plot will definitely be counterproductive,” Olayinka said.

 

Tori News

20 Things Nigerians Will Experience In 2016 Under Buhari’s Govt, Revisited – Fayose 'Prophesies'

Barely nine days into the new year, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has stated 20 things Nigerians should expect to happen under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government in 2016.

1. Workers Strike: There will be so much industrial unrest, especially in the first quarter of the year.In a statement personally signed by Fayose, yesterday, he said: “Fellow Nigerians, I want you to take note of the followings that will unavoidably happen under the Buhari-led government in 2016.”

2. Subsidy: There will be removal of fuel subsidy and petrol (PMS) will sell over and above N100/litre, leaving the masses in more serious hardship. Product will not be available and long queue in petrol stations will persist throughout the first quarter of 2016 and beyond.

 

3. Electricity: Power generation will drop to the lowest ebb. Still, Federal Government will increase tariff in 2016.

 

4. Unemployment: Millions of jobs will be lost in 2016 as against the three million jobs promised by the APC yearly. Most States and Federal Government will retrench workers as evident in the over 2,000 Federal University workers already sacked.

 

5. Economic Policy: Most private owned middle-class businesses will fold up because of bad economic policies of the Buhari-led government.

 

6. Devaluation: The Naira will continue to have a free fall which will take it to as low as N320 to one Dollar.

 

7. Economy: The Buhari-led FG will have no solution to country’s economic problems.

 

8. Security: Boko Haram will keep spreading and the Shiite Muslims will get more emboldened.

 

9. Human Rights: Penchant for dictatorship will rise with rampant human rights abuses and disobedience to court orders.

 

10. Anti-Corruption: Insincerity in the fight against corruption will continue and the fight will not only be selective and political, but targeted more at Southerners.

 

11. Elections: Attempt to forcefully control any of the South South States of Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Bayelsa by the APC will lead to unprecedented deaths.

 

12. Economy: Crude oil price will fall to below and about $30 per barrel.

 

13. Anti-Press Laws: The masses, especially men of the media profession will rise against the FG’s plot to deny Nigerians of their rights to freedom of expression. There will wide condemnations by Nigerians and the International community against President Buhari’s human rights abuses and disobedience to court orders.

 

14. Polity: Renewed efforts will be made to remove Senator Bukola Saraki as the Senate President; this will not only fail, but will heat the polity.

 

15. Hardships: Nigerians will experience more hardships. The President himself attested to this (THE SUN newspaper Tuesday, December 15, 2015). This obviously negates the change Nigerians voted for.

 

16. Elections: Plot by the APC to take control of at least one South South State will lead to death of many people. Particularly, rerun elections in Rivers and Akwa-Ibom States will cause many deaths.

 

17. Corruption: Halliburton scam may be revisited in 2016.

 

19. Kogi State: Court will sack Governor-Elect, Yahaya Bello.
Bayelsa State: Governor Seriake Dickson will win the supplementary election.
Taraba State: Governor Darius Ishaku will be victorious at the Court.

 

20. Politics: There will be subtle political alignment and realignment before the end of the year ahead of 2019 elections.

 

 

* Notably, one of the predictions is already fulfilled- Governor Ishaku being victorious at the court.

 

nigerianmonitor

Enemies Within: Fayemi Deceived Tinubu

Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti state governor, has disclosed that his predecessor, Kayode Fayemi betrayed his party the APC and its national leader, Bola Tinubu who helped him to power.

The governor said this on August 20. Thursday by stating that his administration was devastating the legacies of huge debt, unpaid salaries, white giant projects, bad governance and corruption left behind by the APC-led administration of Kayode Fayemi, his predecessor.

Fayose, who was reacting to Fayemi’s interview in some newspapers in which the ex-governor said that “his legacy was being destroyed”, said no responsible administration will sustain a legacy of over N86 billion debt that was sustained on projects with no straight bearing on the welfare of the people.

In a statement issued by Lere Olayinka, Fayose’s media aide, the incumbent governor said it was essential for Fayemi’s negative legacies to be destroyed, and that “even in the APC, his legacy of betrayal of Senator Bola Tinubu, the man who made him governor is being destroyed.

“Today, Fayemi has been ostracised by those who assisted him to office because he has betrayed all of them, including Tinubu.

“Never again shall Ekiti be governed by those who will borrow billions of naira to plant flowers and create comfort for themselves alone,” Fayose declared.

“Does he then want us to sustain the legacy of serial betrayal of his benefactors?
“If he served Ekiti and its people well, why was it that he was roundly defeated in all the 16 local councils in the state in the 21 June, 2014 governorship election and his party was also defeated 16 to 0 in the presidential, National Assembly and House of Assembly elections?

“Even his own party men described his electoral defeat as the worst in Nigeria.”
Fayose questioned: “Did Fayemi leave behind any positive legacy in Ekiti?

“When Fayemi became governor, he chose to close down two universities established by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, government of Segun Oni and abandoned the Oba Adejugbe General Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, claiming that the state could not fund more than one university.

“The same Fayemi, who said Ekiti had no money to fund more than one university preferred to take N25 billion bond to plant flowers that never germinated up till now and build a new governor’s lodge, civic centre, pavilion and execute other irrelevant projects.

“Furniture alone, in the N3.3 billion governor’s lodge that he built for himself and his wife cost N604.9 million and Fayemi wants such legacy of profligacy to be sustained in Ekiti?

“We are sorry to tell him that we won’t sustain such legacy of waste.

“Even vehicles bought for traditional rulers and political appointees, his government did not pay and uncompleted Oba Adejugbe General Hospital and State Pavilion were commissioned with fanfare.
“Today, Ekiti State is under the yoke of debt, courtesy of Fayemi’s mismanagement of the state resources and what we are destroying are those legacies of mis-governance he left behind.

“One bad news that we must however tell Fayemi is that we won’t only destroy his legacy of misgovernance and betrayal in Ekiti, we will also make sure that economic devourers like him will never taste power in the state.”

It should be recalled that Fayemi was heavily criticized by Tinubu, stating that he was the reason the APC failed in Ekiti state because the ex-governor had no electoral value.

According to reports the tension between the two leaders dates back to the gubernatorial polls in Ekiti state, where Fayemi was defeated by Fayose.

naij.com