Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission cannot stop him from contesting the 2011 governorship poll in the state.



Fayose, who is being prosecuted by the EFCC on alleged money laundering charge, spoke in Efon-Alaaye on Friday during a campaign under his new political platform, the Labour Party.



The former governor said that although he was part of the appeal by Dr. Kayode Fayemi of the Action Congress of Nigeria against Governor Segun Oni’s election, he was ready to oust the incumbent governor in the election.



He said, “No EFCC can stop me from contesting this election; even five million EFCC operatives cannot stop me, except a competent court of law.



“I regard the threat from the anti-corruption agency as the ranting of an ant.



“I will come back, I want to come back to lead my people again and give them a new lease of life.



“I have the greatest numerical support among all the politicians in the state and I am confident that if we have a credible election, I am going to win.



“I am still part of the Appeal Court struggle but we cannot leave everything for them. We don’t want to be caught unawares. If Fayemi wins, good luck to him and if the reverse is the case, Oni will surely surrender to me in the next election.”



Fayose added that his party was not ready to file any petition at the Election Petitions Tribunal but would use every means to prevent rigging at each pooling unit on the day of election.



He said the time and resources wasted by those seeking justice through tribunals had shown that it was better to stop rigging at the poll than seeking to reclaim one’s mandate through tribunals.



Stating that having a good case was not enough to win at the tribunal, Fayose said his party would rather use its resources to stop election riggers on the field.



He said, “We are going to curtail them on the day of the election. We prefer to spend our money to stop their rigging than for us to be pursuing a case, which we are not sure of winning.”



The former governor also claimed that there was internal democracy in the LP, saying that the party’s primaries would be credible to ensure the emergence of popular candidates.



He said, “The primaries remain the life-wire of the general elections.



“If you fail to present a popular candidate, what you are tending towards is rigging of election.”



The EFCC and the Code of Conduct Bureau had claimed last month that they they would collaborate to prevent parties from presenting candidates with pending corruption cases in the 2011 elections.



The Chairman of the EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri, and her CCB counterpart, Mr. Sam Saba, said this when board members of the bureau visited the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, on Thursday.



The chairmen renewed their commitment to the fight against corruption and sought a synergy with the Independent National Electoral Commission, political parties, security agencies and the intelligence community ahead of the elections.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009202463879

I hope Fayose has learnt a great lesson now. Every progressive minded people surely support all prossive minded candidate. It’s Quite obvious that Ekiti people needs the collaboration of Fayose & Fayemi so that those. Projects can continue.