Supporters of former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, on Tuesday besieged Wuse II Annex of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja, in solidarity with the former governor.
Fayose, whose tenure as governor of the state, ended on Monday, reported at the EFCC office to honour an earlier invitation by the commission.
He had assured the commission that he would present himself at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, and at precisely 12.59 p.m., the former governor showed up at the commission’s Wuse office.
He was accompanied by Gov.Nyesom Wike of Rivers and former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that before Fayose’s arrival, some of his supporters and rights activists had thronged the EFCC’s premises.
The supporters wore T-shirts with inscriptions as “Fayose Bold, Dogged, Constant’’ and “Fayose, the Conscience of Nigeria.’’
One of the supporters, human rights activist and lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), who addressed newsmen, said “This is a country governed by constitutionalism, a constitutional democracy.
“The government should not instill fear in him and people. Fayose is here, he has reported to EFCC.
“Once a person decamps to APC, he becomes politically cleansed of his political leprosy.
“We cannot continue to live in self-denial; we cannot continue to be afraid,” he said.
Another activist, Mr. Deji Adeyanju, said that they were not in support of corruption, but that they were at the EFCC as stakeholders.
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“It is not that we are here to support corruption; we are here to say that if the EFCC here believes that Fayose has some questions to answer, good and fine.
“We have seen how they made Babachir come here in the afternoon and he left in the evening on the same day and he answered questions and he was released.
“So, corruption is not fighting back; nobody is defending corruption. We are here as Nigerians and as stakeholders.
“I’m in the civil society; we are here to make sure that Fayose enjoys the same privileges that Babachir enjoyed when he came here,” he said.
A member of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr. Dayo Akinlayo, who was among the supporters, said that he was at the anti-graft agency’s office to lend support to Fayose.
“He is our brother, he is our mentor, leader, who has done wonderfully well for Ekiti.
“He has managed Ekiti resources well in spite of the meagre resources,” he said.