Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose claims that a management team from Zenith Bank on Thursday, pleaded with him over the controversy surrounding the funding of the June 21, 2014 governorship election which he contested against Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Solid Minerals.

Fayose had alleged that his election was funded by Zenith Bank after his account with the commercial bank was frozen by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The anti-graft agency placed an embargo on his account after tracing funds from the office of the National Security Adviser to the account.

The EFCC claimed that Fayose’s election was funded by the Office of the NSA with funds meant for the procurement of arms to prosecute the Boko Haram war.

The governor responded by attributing the source of his election funds to Zenith Bank but reports from the grapevine on Wednesday, suggested that the bank denied his claims.

According to Fayose’s spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, the management team of Zenith bank visited and ‘begged’ the governor on Thursday, in Ekiti.

 

“The team was led by an Executive Director, Sola Oladipo. It also had two zonal directors of the bank and the Ado-Ekiti branch manager. When accosted by newsmen, the ED said they only came to see the governor.”

“Asked whether the bank really dissociated itself from the claim by the governor that it was part of the funding of the election, Shola could only mutter some inaudible words. He eventually said the spokesman for the bank was not on the team and could not say anything.”

Olayinka also quoted Fayose to have said, “They were begging me and that the matter should not go beyond this level.”

The statement however, did not infer what the governor was begged for nor did it reflect what the Zenith Bank management team said during the meeting.

“I asked them why did they go to the EFCC to tell lies. Why did they have to lie that money came from the Office of the National Security Adviser? If the money is for me why did they have to link with me what is not”, Olayinka added.