Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has told the Nigerian First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, to wait until the end of his tenure to sue him for defamation of character.
This was in response to the letter written by Aisha Buhari’s Counsel, berating Fayose for his statement about her alleged involvement in the Halliburton scandal.
The counsel to the president’s wife, Mary Ekpere & Co. had written a letter dated June 22, 2016, to Fayose, demanding a retraction of the governor’s statement and threatening legal action if the retraction was not made within five days.
However Fayose in a letter by his counsel, Mike Ozekhome, a copy of which was made available to reporters in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, July 13, said he enjoys constitutional immunity from civil and criminal proceedings during the period he occupies the office of the governor.
Fayose also said the statement he made regarding the alleged involvement of Mrs. Buhari in the Halliburton scandal was “correct and justified in law.”
The letter read “Our client has referred to us your letter dated 22nd June, 2016, on alleged defamation of the character of your client , Her Excellency, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, with firm instructions to reply to and reject same in its entirety.
“Our client states and reaffirms categorically that the statement he made as regards the involvement of Mrs. Aisha Buhari, the wife of President Buhari, in the Halliburton scandal, is correct and justified in law; having regards to a court judgement convicting one Mr. William Jefferson for bribery in the Halliburton case.
“Therein, the name of the President’s wife featured conspicuously. At page 22 of the said judgment delivered by the United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, USA, in criminal No 1: 07CR209, the said Mr. William Jefferson was sentenced at 9:00am on November 13, 2009, by Mark D, Lytle. Your client, Mrs. Aisha Buhari was specifically mentioned in the judgment.”