FAYOSE TO BUHARI'S WIFE: WAIT TILL 2018 TO SUE ME

EKITI State Governor Ayo Fayose has reacted to a
June 22nd letter by counsel to Mrs. Buhari, Mary
Ekpere & Co, demanding a retraction of the
governor’s statement that her client (Mrs. Buhari)
was involved in the Halliburton scandal.
The legal firm threatened a legal action, if the
retraction was not made within five days.
In response, he has advised wife of the President,
Mrs. Aisha Buhari, to wait till end of his tenure
on October 16, 2018, to sue him for defamation.
Fayose, in a letter by his counsel, Mike
Ozekhome, a copy of which was made available to
reporters in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said
The letter reads: “Our client has referred to
us your letter of June 22, 2016, on the
alleged defamation of the character of your
client, the wife of Muhammadu Buhari, with
firm instructions to reply to and reject
same.
“Our client states and reaffirms that the
statement he made as regards the
involvement of Mrs. Aisha Buhari, in the
Halliburton scandal, is correct and justified
in law; having regards to a court judgment
convicting Mr. William Jefferson for bribery
in the Halliburton case.
“Therein, the name of the President’s wife
featured conspicuously. On Page 22 of the
judgment delivered by the United States
District Court, Eastern District of Virginia,
Alexandria Division, USA, in Criminal No 1:
07CR209, Mr. William Jefferson was
sentenced at 9 am on November 13, 2009, by
Mark D, Lytle. Your client, Mrs. Aisha
Buhari, was mentioned in the judgment.
The judge referred to exhibits 36-87 in the
following words, for clarification;
“See also Government Exhibits 36-87 (6/26/02
$170,000 wire transfer from account in
Nigeria in the name of Aisha Buhari to an
account in the name of The ANJ Group, LLC,
identifying “William Jefferson” as
beneficiary)… Given the age of the
defendant, the severity of the sentence
calculated by the Probation Office, the
defendant’s frequent travel overseas and
unexplained wire transfers from overseas
locations to financial accounts used by the
defendant, the defendant cannot rebut the
presumption at sentencing that he is a risk
of flight.”
“Williams Jefferson is serving a jail term in
the USA and to the best of our client’s
knowledge, this judgment has not been
challenged or set aside by any appellate
court of law anywhere in the world.
“The statement of our client, is therefore
correct and justified, same having been
factually premised on an existing court
judgment above referred to.”
On the immunity enjoyed by Fayose against
civil and criminal proceedings, the senior
advocate said: “Your attention is also drawn
to Section 308 of the Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as altered,
on the immunity enjoyed by our client from
civil or criminal proceedings for the period
that he occupies the office of the governor
of Ekiti State.
“You may, therefore, advise your client to
wait until after October 16, 2018, when our
client’s tenure expires. When that happens,
we shall join issues with your client in a
competent court of law, in the event that
your client does not have a change of
heart.”