Omoyele Sowore, the convener of #RevolutionNow, has filed a defense statement in response to a libel suit brought by former Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, against him and Sahara Reporters Limited.
The defense statement was submitted to a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja. In the 47-paragraph joint statement of defense in suit No: FCT/HC/CV 2062/2021, Sowore asserts that Fayemi is a “thief who has no reputation,” urging the court to dismiss the suit with substantial costs.
Filed by Sowore’s counsel, Tope Temokun Esq., on June 10, 2024, the defense challenges Fayemi’s self-proclaimed piety and incorruptibility, arguing that public perception in Ekiti State and Nigeria at large is quite the opposite.
The defendants cite several allegations to support their claim that Fayemi’s reputation is already tarnished. They reference charges brought against Fayemi in January 2018 by the High Court of Ekiti State (Charge No: HAD/5c/2018) for financial impropriety, including refusal to obey a witness summons, attempting to obstruct justice, criminal contempt, and abuse of office.
Moreover, the defense highlights a controversial N20 billion loan Fayemi allegedly secured to build an international cargo airport in Ado Ekiti. Despite rejecting a financial offer from Aare Afe Babalola, Fayemi purportedly claimed the state had sufficient funds. However, the defense argues that the airport, inaugurated on October 15, 2022, remains unfinished and fails to meet the standards claimed by Fayemi.
In their defense, Sowore and Sahara Reporters also draw attention to a statement by Mr. Niyi Adebayo, Special Adviser to Governor Biodun Oyebanji on Budget and Economic Planning. Adebayo noted that while military aircraft can land at the airport without navigational aids, commercial planes require a functional control tower and adequate lighting for safe landings, indicating that the airport was not as operational as claimed.
The defense further alleges that when banks refused additional loans for the airport, the Ekiti State Government sought financial aid from Aare Afe Babalola, who pledged N4 billion, with N2 billion already disbursed. Instead of gratitude, Fayemi allegedly subjected Babalola to unjustified media attacks.
Additionally, the defense cites a petition by concerned Ekiti citizens to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), calling for an investigation into Fayemi’s alleged treasury looting. They also reference the “Ekiti Rice Pyramid” project, launched by Fayemi in May 2021 with former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Godwin Emefiele in attendance. The project, intended to boost rice production and create jobs, is claimed by the defense to have seen funds diverted during Fayemi’s tenure, contradicting his assertions of integrity.
The defendants call on Fayemi to produce financial accounts for several projects, including the funds received from the CBN for the rice pyramid and the London/Paris Club refund of N2.4 billion intended for Ekiti State’s local government councils.
Furthermore, the defense points to a $20 million loan taken by Fayemi’s administration to combat COVID-19, despite a committee of Ekiti State indigenes raising funds and materials for the pandemic response. The defense alleges that Fayemi diverted this loan.
The defense also references a Judicial Panel of Inquiry from 2017 that investigated Ekiti State’s finances between 2010 and 2014, which indicted Fayemi for various financial offenses, including the diversion of N4.995 billion and N5 billion from state bonds designated for developmental projects.
Sowore and Sahara Reporters argue that these allegations severely undermine Fayemi’s claims of uprightness and incorruptibility, and as such, he has no reputation to protect in a libel case.
