EFCC disowns tweet on Fayose

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has disowned a recent gloating tweet that announced the imminent revival of a criminal case against outgoing Governor of Ekiti, Ayo Fayose.

In a statement on Monday night, spokesman of the commission, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said the “purported tweet does not represent the views of the EFCC”.

The tweet, which appeared on the EFCC’s verified Twitter handle, @officialEFCC on Sunday afternoon, said the commission had dusted a N1.3 billion fraud case file against Fayose.

It came few hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the results of Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti.

Fayose’s protege, Prof. Kolapo Olushola-Eleka of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), lost the election to Mr Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The tweet read: “The parri (party) is over, the cloak of immunity torn apart, and the staff broken.

“Ekiti Integrated Poultry Project/Biologival concepts Limited N1.3 billion fraud case file dusted off the shelves. See you soon.”

The post, accompanied with the photograph of what looks like a dilapidated poultry structure, was deleted about three hours later.

But before then it had gone viral online, eliciting criticisms from many Nigerians who interpreted it as a reflection of the commission’s partisanship.

Uwujaren said, “In the opinion of most commentators, the tweet betrayed the partisanship of the EFCC in the political contest in Ekiti State.

“Against the background, the commission is constrained to state that the purported tweet does not represent the views of the EFCC.

“As a law enforcement organisation the commission is apolitical and was not involved in the recent Ekiti election.

“It, therefore, has no reason to gloat over the political misfortune of any candidate or political god-father.”

He said although there was a subsisting criminal charge against Fayose, the fate of the charge would be determined by the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti, at the expiration of his tenure, not the EFCC.