FORMER governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, on Sunday arrived in Nigeria from overseas.
Igbinedion who is presently in Abuja, said he would appear before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) today.
But an official of the EFCC told the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja that although the commission was set to receive the former governor, it would only listen to his defence on the allegations of corruption preferred against him and determine the next step to take.
He said Igbinedion could only be formally invited and charged to court in line with laid down rules after the EFCC might have been able to establish that he still had questions to answer in spite of his defence.
An Abuja High Court had issued a warrant for the arrest of Igbinedion after the EFCC had declared him wanted for the alleged looting of N2.8 billion from the coffers of Edo State during his administration.
According to him, the EFCC had learnt to conduct its affairs in a different way, hence would not rush into grabbing the former governor, adding that the commission would give Igbinedion the chance to prove his innocence on the allegations against him beyond reasonable doubt.
The former governor had written to the EFCC about two weeks ago, notifying it about his intention to report at its headquarters in Abuja to answer the charges preferred against him.
In the letter submitted by his counsel, Abdullahi Ibrahim, Igbinedion accused the EFCC of exposing him to media trial in his absence even as he took exception to his being declared wanted by the commission.
He said the EFCC knew that he would be travelling out of the country having briefed the officials on his journey and wondered why he was declared wanted after leaving the country.
He said he was not guilty of the allegations against him as, according to him, he had nothing to hide about his eight-years tenure as the governor of Edo State.
Attempts to reach the EFCC spokesman, Mr. Osita Nwajah, for his comment about Igbinedion�s visit to the commission proved abortive as he could not be reached through his mobile phone.