The governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, on Sunday redeemed the car promise he made to his recently released Finance Commissioner, Toyin Ojo, and the state Accountant-General, Yemisi Owolabi.
The duo received the keys to the new Kia Rio cars from the governor after a thanksgiving service to mark his third anniversary in office.
The officials were arrested and quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and were released 14 days after their arrest.
According to Fayose, the duo deserved the award for “enduring maltreatment, harassment, intimidation and oppression from the EFCC.”
He accused the EFCC of illegally arresting the officials, claiming that only the state’s House of Assembly can raise questions about the state’s financial status.
He said the state government would sue the EFCC for acting beyond its powers.
“The constitution of Nigeria does not empower the EFCC to arrest state officials over alleged graft. That function belongs to our state House of Assembly.
“We will sue the EFCC for this illegality, pursue the case to a logical conclusion and get damages for this ill-treatment.
“The constitution of Nigeria is supreme and has overriding influence over any government parastatal such as the EFCC.”
The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to concluding ongoing projects and paying off the outstanding salaries of workers.
