Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has celebrated his freedom from a long-running money laundering case by eating *amala and ewedu with bricklayers at a construction site.
A video posted online by Lere Olayinka, spokesman for the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, showed Fayose sharing a simple meal with site workers on Wednesday. Olayinka captioned it: “Fayose celebrates Court Victory, eating amala with site workers.”
Speaking in the video, Fayose said: “We are grateful to God and that is why we are celebrating with amala. Jesus Christ said these ones are my family.” Pointing to the bricklayers, he added: “These are my family people… We thank God for giving victory after seven years.”
The celebration came shortly after the Federal High Court in Lagos discharged and acquitted Fayose of all charges in a N6.9 billion money laundering case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC first arraigned Fayose on July 2, 2019. However, after years of legal proceedings, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke ruled on Wednesday that the prosecution failed to provide solid evidence linking the former governor to the crime.
“The prosecution failed to link the defendant to the alleged crimes in a manner that warrants this court to call upon him to open his defence,” the judge said.
With the case now behind him, Fayose said he chose to celebrate in a humble way with everyday people, calling them his “real family.”