The court upheld Fayose’s no-case submission, declaring that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against him, and therefore had no grounds to continue the trial.

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, was on Tuesday discharged and acquitted of all money laundering charges by the Federal High Court in Lagos, bringing an end to his prolonged legal battle with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The court upheld Fayose’s no-case submission, declaring that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against him, and therefore had no grounds to continue the trial.

Fayose was accused of laundering N2.2 billion during his time in office, facing multiple charges filed by the EFCC.

 The trial, which spanned several years, was marked by a series of legal arguments and adjournments.

In its ruling, the court stated that the evidence presented by the anti-graft agency was insufficient to prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt, and ruled in favour of the former governor’s request to dismiss the case without entering a defence.

This came weeks after President Bola Tinubu met with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, Fayose and other prominent chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Apart from Fayose, others in attendance included Samuel Ortom (Benue), and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia).

The closed-door meeting came also after Fayose visited President Tinubu at his residence in Lagos during the Sallah break on June 9.

Speaking to journalists after that visit, Fayose had said he came to encourage the president and expressed confidence in Tinubu’s leadership. 

He noted that despite being a PDP member, he had always believed in Tinubu’s capacity, even during his time as governor.

Fayose had also commended the president’s efforts at stabilising Nigeria’s economy, saying Tinubu deserved support across party lines.

On June 25, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that there were fresh concerns that the Nigerian government was scheming to abandon the high-profile money laundering case against former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, despite what insiders described as overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing.

SaharaReporters had been reliably informed by top sources close to the case that the government, through its prosecutorial agencies, was working behind the scenes to ensure the case collapsed at the Federal High Court, Lagos.

Fayose, who served as governor from 2014 to 2018, is standing trial on an 11-count charge of money laundering in Charge No: FHC/L/353C/2018, brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He was accused of receiving ₦2.2 billion from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) during the 2014 Ekiti governorship election, funds which prosecutors say were diverted for personal gain rather than used for his campaign.