By Gabriel Olawale

LAGOS—A pressure  group, Change Nigeria Movement, CNM, has faulted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Nigerian Custom Service, NSC, for placing Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State on security watch-list, saying it is an open display of partisanship taken too far.

In a statement by its National Director of Information and Strategy, Mr. Abubakar Usman, CNM gave the Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu and the Comptroller General of Customs, Mr. Hameed Alli 24 hours to withdraw the memo that placed Fayose on security watch-list, and apologise to Nigerians for subjecting the two institutions to ridicule and public opprobrium or face mass action.

The statement reads: “Our position is that Governor Ayo Fayose is still a sitting governor, who enjoys immunity from arrest and prosecution as prescribed in section 308 (i) of 1999 constitution so, we wonder if EFCC, Customs, Immigration Services, Police and other security agencies would say the offence(s) of the governor is or are to warrant his arrest at airport, seaport or land border as pettily stated in their memo that was apparently leaked to the press to embarrass the governor unknown to them that they are embarrassing the sovereignty of Nigeria before the international community and also creating bad precedent for generation yet unborn.”

“We say very expressly that this is not about Fayose, the governor should face the full wrath of the law if he has stolen the commonwealth of his people; this is about safeguarding our law; an injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere. “We call on the Nigerian Governors Forum to speak against this tyranny; it is Fayose today, it may be another person tomorrow. Thus, we consider the actions of EFCC and NSC as a declaration of war against the constitution and sovereignty of Nigeria.”