The former deputy governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has given reasons why his name did not appear on the Federal Government’s purported watch list of corrupt Nigerians.
He said his name was not included because of his “clean bill of health” on corruption charges, as he had no current corruption case with the EFCC.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Mr Jide Fakorede, on Tuesday, Omisore, a former governorship candidate in the last governorship election in Osun State, said as a result of no current corruption charge against him he should not be included in travel ban list.
He said, “We have no doubt of the existence of some failed politicians who have scores to settle with the former Osun State deputy governor but are now feeling frustrated with his continuous rise in the political firmament of the country, despite all their pull him down effort.
“This set of persons represents retrogression, deliberate falsehood and underdevelopment. Again, they have failed.
“Let’s face the facts squarely, Senator Iyiola Omisore was wrongly accused in 2016 and he surrendered himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for investigation and was given a ‘clean bill of health’ by the anti-graft body after a thorough investigation.
“It is on record that no case was instituted against him in any court of our land and neither was he arraigned before any court. He has been enjoying his freedom and has even presented himself for election into public office, passing through all security screenings. So, we ask, what is the noise about?
“The basis for placement on the watch list and travel ban is to ensure that those answering EFCC charges are held within the country; and for someone not having a current case with the anti-graft agency, there may be no basis to restrict his movement.
“Senator Omisore is busy with the arduous task of building alliance across different political parties, with the aim of developing Osun State and using his contacts from his extensive network garnered over the years in the course of his private practice as a successful chartered engineer; and will not allow distractions from fake group like this to discourage him.
“Yoruba youths all over the world were known to be intelligent and industrious, and they would never subject themselves to being used by political jobbers and rejected politicians for any reason.”
