"You Can't Sue Me Now Until Leave Office"Fayose Tells Aisha Buhari

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has advised Aisha, President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife to drop the threat to sue him for defamation of character, saying by virtue of Section 308 of the constitution, he remained immune from legal attacks until the end of his tenure.

The counsel to the president’s wife, Mary Ekpere & Co had written a letter dated June 22, 2016, to Governor Fayose, demanding retraction of the governor’s statement that the President’s wife was involved in the Halliburton scandal, and threatening legal action if the retraction was not made within five days.
However, in a response dated July 8, 2016, Governor Fayose said through his counsel, Mike Ozekhome, that he could only be sued after October, 16, 2018, when his governorship tenure expires.

“Your attention is also hereby 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,” the letter said.

“You may therefore advise your client to wait until after 16th October, 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.”

In the letter, Mr. Ozekhome insisted the statement made by the governor regarding the involvement of Mrs Aisha Buhari in the Halliburton scandal was “correct and justified in law, having regards to a court judgment convicting one Mr William Jefferson for bribery in the Halliburton case.”