The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has lambasted Governor Ayodele Fayose for eyeing the presidency, saying he wants to become Nigeria’s next leader yet he cannot pay workers’ salary.
Fayose had boasted that he would oust President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress, APC, from power in 2019.
His words: “I have penchant for taking powers; that one in Buhari’s hand. I will take it. I’m going straight to that villa. I’m the next president.
“I want to be the next president of Nigeria. My own won’t be this change that has brought nothing, we are going to represent the people well and tell them the truth.”
Reacting, APC stated that latest declaration by the governor explained the alleged diversion of two tranches of bailout and budget support facility cash to enable him fund his presidential campaign.
In a statement on Sunday by the Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party noted that it was now clear why the governor put the state into N42b debts to pay salary, allowances, pensions and gratuity, including severance package of former political office holders, but allegedly diverted the money to projects that had no bearing to the welfare of Ekiti people.
He said: “Having known Fayose as a political merchant who always contests elections without spending his personal money, we now know the reason why he has borrowed N42b to finance projects which costs have spiralled without much progress in those projects.
“Fayose borrowed two tranches of bailout comprising N9.6b and N8.8b before taking a monthly N1.3b Budget Support Facility for nine months to pay salary but he diverted all to projects awarded to his friends’ companies in which he has interest.
“Now another N9.5b Paris Club refund is coming to the state but he has started brainwashing workers and traditional rulers that the cash is N4b that will not be enough to pay salary.
“Like we hinted last week, APC will play the role of a responsible opposition by taking the governor to court to explain Ekiti finances, including calling the people to the streets to educate them on the fraudulent practices in government that are threats to the survival of Ekiti people.
“Fayose is known for contesting elections without spending his money. He did it in 2002 when party leaders, notably Dr Bode Olowoporoku, Chief Bode George, Gbenga James,prince Akin Olayisade and others raised his nomination fee.
“In his last election, revelations have emerged on how he benefitted from arms purchase cash from the Office of the National Security Adviser, more than half of which he allegedly kept in his personal accounts as revealed by EFCC’s investigation.
“This is besides tasking his supporters to make contributions to fund his last election, including selling campaign materials to them with the promises of immediate appointments after his inauguration.
“But after inauguration, he never allowed his supporters into his campaign office and his official office again and shut out his financiers he promised heaven and earth, and today, all these people are regretting their actions as they have nothing in appointments and contracts patronage.
“For the first time in history, no one knows Ekiti IGR profile because the money is kept in secret account while over-bloated figure of N2.6b is declared by Fayose as workers’ monthly salary even though the official figure is N1.7b.”
APC insisted that Fayose has no other business and cannot survive outside politics and so has chosen Ekiti State as his trading post to make money with the alleged connivance of his Ibadan friends, Olatunbosun explained:
“Even though we know that Fayose’s presidential ambition is a pipe dream to further divert the attention of Ekiti people from his fraudulent administration after earlier announcing to recontest the governorship election to complete the six months he lost in his aborted first term, as a political merchant, he has started day-dreaming over a presidential ambition to gain attention and distract Ekiti people from the misapplication of public funds for private advantage.
“The new Paris Club refund of N9.5b that is coming, including N1.3b monthly Budget Support Facility, monthly statutory allocation of N1.9b and IGR figures he won’t disclose, are enough to pay six months salary, but he has started brainwashing Ekiti workers that the money is N4b and so he can’t pay more than one month, all in an attempt to fraudulently divert the money for his personal use and his so-called presidential ambition.”
A respondent however expressed surprise that APC Ekiti State chapter was dignifying Fayose with a reply.
He nonetheless reasoned that the APC’s response occasionally was necessary “because if you have a lunatic as political opponent, you have got to endure his or her character by playing the politics along with him the way it comes until you are able to overcome his or her excesses.”
