The Catholic diocese of Ekiti has threatened to sue Governor Ayodele Fayose over the education development levy imposed on primary and secondary pupils in both state-owned and private schools in the state.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
Under the new tax regime, pupils in primary and secondary schools are to pay N500 and N1,000 education development levy, respectively.
But the catholic church has said it will not pay the money, advising the government to exempt its schools from payment.
Citing Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board Law, 2005, the church said the state government had the mandatory obligation to provide free and compulsory education for every child of primary to junior secondary school classes.
The bishop of the diocese, Most Rev. Felix Ajakaye, stated this in a press statement made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti on Thursday.
He threatened to file a legal action against the government “in the circumstance that any of the schools under my custody is disturbed.”
“No law empowers the state government of Ekiti to impose Education Development Levy on pupils/students of mission schools in Ekiti state.”
Ajakaye said that the church viewed the new tax as another burden on parents whom he said were already overwhelmed with taxes in different forms by the state government.
He recalled with pain how the state, under the military regime in 1975, “forcibly” took over 106 Catholic primary schools with seven secondary schools and one technical school without compensation.
He added that the new tax was unnecessary because schools established by the Church had been paying various levies and taxes demanded by both local and state governments.
“The Catholic Church in Ekiti land implores the state government to see the Church as great contributor to quality education and a formidable partner in the development of education in the state. Therefore, the status of the Catholic schools must be recognised as defined by their purposes and they should be treated accordingly,” Ajakaye added.
The Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, said on Monday that President Muhammadu Buhari took the right decision on behalf of Nigerians by signing a $6bn investment package with China during his visit to the Asian country.
Femi Gbajabiamila
He stated that Buhari got the mandate from the Nigerian people, having “overwhelmingly” elected him to govern the country.
The All Progressives Congress lawmaker from Lagos State, made the observation in a letter he addressed to the Chinese President, Xi Jingping.
The letter, which was dated April 18, was a response to an earlier letter the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, wrote Jingping, in which he condemned Buhari’s trip to China and his alleged bid for a $2bn loan from the Chinese government.
Gbajabiamila advised the Chinese President to ignore Fayose, whom he said had no authority to speak on behalf of Nigeria, a country with a federal structure.
He also argued that contrary to Fayose’s position that Buhari did not brief the National Assembly before engaging in such international deals on behalf of Nigeria, the President actually notified the legislature in the 2016-2018 Medium Term Expenditure Framework that he would resort to borrowing to fund Nigeria’s three-budgeting plan.
Part of the letter to Jingping read, “Mr. President, perhaps our governor is not fully seized on the way budgeting works at the federal level. The Federal Government of Nigeria has a three-year budget rolling plan captured under a Medium Term Expenditure Framework. The MTEF 2016-2018 has a borrowing component in which the legislature approved for the President to incur both domestic and foreign loans for the purposes of infrastructural development and deficit financing.
“This MTEF was passed unanimously, by the National Assembly including the six House members and three senators from Ekiti, the governor’s state.
“I am therefore dismayed as are many members of the National Assembly that the governor would claim that the loan sought from your government did not have parliamentary imprimatur.
“It is also a fallacy that the country’s debt is being financed with 25 per cent of the Federal Government’s annual budget as there is something in economic and legislative borrowing parlance called nominal debt service where a portion of borrowed monies in this case about N1.3tn stays within the country’s financial system. Such are the intricacies of national debts, aids and loans.”
The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has criticised the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, and other opposition leaders over their comments on President Muhammadu Buhari’s foreign trips, describing their statements as insensitive.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
Odigie-Oyegun and the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the APC, Chief Segun Oni, also said that the governor’s letter to the Chinese government not to grant Nigeria a $2bn loan was a display of ignorance on issues affecting the country by Fayose.
Odigie-Oyegun, who stated this while speaking with journalists in Benin on Sunday, noted that critics opposed to the nation’s growth and development were bent on frustrating the efforts of the APC-led administration and the President to rescue the country from the ongoing fuel crisis and revitalise the ailing economy.
Fayose had last week written a letter to the Chinese government, asking it to shun President Buhari’s proposal to secure a $2bn loan for Nigeria.
The governor, in his letter to President Xi Jinping of China, said Nigerians were “totally opposed to increment of the country’s debt burden, which is already being serviced with 25 per cent of the Federal Government annual budget.
“The government of China should be mindful of the fact that Nigerians, irrespective of their political and religious affiliations, are totally opposed to increment of the country’s debt burden, which is already being serviced with 25 per cent of the Federal Government annual budget.”
But the APC national chairman said, “Most people do not recognise the very sorry state of the nation’s economy and the fact that the country’s economy was ran aground and the crashed economy which contributed in no small measure towards the crash of crude oil from N120 per barrel to a miserable N30 to N40 per barrel at the international market.
“I hope Fayose did not really do what we are told he did. I don’t think even he is capable as descending into these low depths. But if he did, I feel sorry for him and the people of the state. Nigerians should ask Fayose what he was doing in China. Anyway, we are not bothered; the President is not bothered.”
In a statement from his Media Office, Oni said Fayose needed spiritual deliverance from emotional bondage.
Oni said, “Governor Fayose was in his characteristic state of hallucination when he wrote the letter and claimed, while reveling in his world of ecstatic fantasy, to be voicing the opinion of Nigerians.
“Fayose’s seemingly strange behaviour is not strange to people like us, as he is only behaving to type.
“We called the attention of the people to his conduct years ago, during his first term as governor, after the under-the-barb-wire drama at the airport, that any governor, who chooses to pass under the barb-wire at an international airport, whatever the circumstance, cannot be a normal person and should have his fitness for the exalted office ascertained.”
Oni added that his opinion about the governor, in this regard, had not changed.
He appealed to “sincere associates of Governor Fayose, who love him genuinely, to take steps towards affirming his emotional and psychological stability in order to save him from himself.”
Odigie-Oyegun also maintained that having won the 2015 presidential election on the basis of his personal integrity, experience and “the respect he (Buhari) commands, not only in the country but also across the world, President Buhari is on a mission to rescue the nation from her present socio-political and economic challenges.”
He said, “In a situation where the world has become a global village, where a rapid revival depends on the understanding of the rest of the world, the President has taken his prestige and time around the whole world to polish our image which has been badly damaged in order to make it possible for world leaders to want to deal with a new Nigeria and to get the type of resources and the expertise that we need badly.”
Defending Buhari’s foreign trips, Odigie-Oyegun added, “We do not have the resources to take down to revive the economy. So, what the President is doing is at great inconveniences to his person. Don’t forget that he was a military officer, he trained abroad and he had been to most parts of the world, it is not as if he is entertaining joy in spending sleepless days in one country to another.
“Everything he has done, including the foreign tours, is to gather all the support that is necessary to make a dramatic impact on the condition of Nigeria as quickly as possible.”
“The countries he has visited are critical to peace in Nigeria or to our economic speedy revival. The long and short of it is that Mr. President is getting the world to respect and know the new Nigeria and to be ready to help to revive the Nigerian economy,” he added.
A former Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, Dr. Tope Aluko, has said that the plot to rig the June 21, 2014 governorship election was perfected inside a hotel seven days before the poll.
Tope Aluko
Aluko alleged that the hotel belonged to a top state government official (name withheld), adding that sensitive materials such as ballot papers and result sheets were delivered to PDP chieftains by the Independent National Electoral Commission at the hotel.
He also claimed that the Governor Ayodele Fayose’s administration had received the refund of the N5.2bn spent on the Ado-Ifaki federal highway by the administration of ex-governor Kayode Fayemi.
The state government has, however, continued to deny receiving the refund.
Speaking on an interview programme on Adaba 88.9 FM, Akure, on Wednesday, Aluko claimed that the electoral materials were delivered through the Akure Airport.
He claimed that INEC ballot papers were forged and result sheets filled by some PDP members, which gave the party an edge long before voters went to the polls.
Aluko explained that the operatives of the Department of State Services led by a female officer stormed the hotel and arrested the PDP members perfecting the rigging but that they were released within three hours, following the intervention of the then President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government.
He disclosed that a lorry conveying some of the electoral materials delivered through the Akure Airport was the one intercepted by soldiers led by the recently retired Brig.-Gen. Aliyu Momoh.
According to him, the materials were later released after the officers received an ‘order from above’.
The former PDP chieftain alleged that the N5.2bn refund had been diverted to the Ado Ekiti flyover project, following an investigation conducted by the Department of State Services, the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Aluko said, “Ask him (Fayose) why did the former Commissioner for Works, Kayode Oso, run away? The Commissioner for Finance, Toyin Ojo, told his interrogators about the finances of the state, including the N5.2bn refunded on the Ado-Ifaki Road project carried out by Fayemi.
“You will recall that Fayose had earlier denied receiving the N5.2bn refund but the revelation by Ojo while in custody now made him (Fayose) to divert the money for a flyover construction because Ojo told them that Oso was in a better position to explain the refund collected on road.”
Aluko said the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Owoseni Ajayi, was liable for his alleged role in an attack on the Ekiti State High Court – to prevent the delivery of a ruling on a perjury case involving Fayose.
Aluko said, “I pity Owoseni Ajayi who is saying that I should be prosecuted because he (Owoseni) was the one who placed a call to Fayose to organise a mob to disrupt the delivery of a ruling by Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi.
“Owoseni told Fayose on the phone that should the judge deliver the ruling on the perjury case, it would go against him (Fayose) and his planned inauguration would be in jeopardy.”
Aluko said he did not fall out with Fayose when he was not made the Chief of Staff, saying he fell out with the governor because he had derailed from delivering the dividends of democracy to the masses.
He said, “Fayose told me that Ekiti people are easy to deceive because by the time you buy them ‘ponmo’ and ‘booli’, you have stolen their hearts’.
It was there that our crisis started, the issue of Chief of Staff was secondary.”
But the Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said Aluko should be disregarded.
“Is he an official of the Federal Ministry of Works? Is he an official of the Federal Government? Anybody making such an allegation should come with proof.”
The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has written to the Chinese Government, seeking the stoppage of the $2bn loan being sought by the Federal Government.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to China this week was to discuss the development of the country’s infrastructure, including a $2bn loan for railway projects.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
But Fayose in his letter to President Xi Jinping of China said Nigerians were “totally opposed to increment of the country’s debt burden, which is already being serviced with 25 per cent of the Federal Government annual budget.
“The government of China should be mindful of the fact that Nigerians, irrespective of their political and religious affiliations, are totally opposed to increment of the country’s debt burden, which is already being serviced with 25 per cent of the Federal Government annual budget.”
In the April 12 letter with reference number EK/GOV/28/10, which was delivered by Fayose’s Chief of Staff, Dipo Anisulowo, in Abuja on Thursday, to the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Gu Xiaojie, the governor said some of the projects for which the loan was being sought were not captured in the 2016 budget.
Anisulowo, who was accompanied by the Deputy Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Segun Adewumi; the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Gboyega Aribisogan; the Chairman of the House Committee on Health, Dr. Samuel Omotosho; and the Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said Fayose, who is in China, “will also deliver a copy of the letter directly to the Chinese President.”
The letter partly read, “I write as one of the major stakeholders in the project Nigeria, and a governor of one of the federating units making up Nigeria, to draw your attention to report that the Federal Government of Nigeria is on the verge of obtaining a $2bn loan from the Export-Import Bank of China.
“This $2bn loan is part of the N1.84tn the Federal Government of Nigeria has proposed to borrow to finance the 2016 budget, which is yet to be signed by the President, Muhammadu Buhari, owing to unending controversies between the Executive and the Legislative arms of government.
“According to reports, Nigeria desires to raise about $5bn abroad to cover part of its 2016 budget deficit. This is projected to hit N3tn ($15bn) due to heavy infrastructure spending at a time when the slump in global oil prices has slashed the country’s export revenues.
“While conceding that all nations, especially developing ones, need support to be able to grow because no nation is an island, I am constrained to inform you that if the future of Nigeria must be protected, the country does not need any loan at this time.
“The government of China should be mindful of the fact that Nigerians, irrespective of their political and religious affiliations, are totally opposed to increment of the country’s debt burden, which is already being serviced with 25 per cent of the Federal Government annual budget.”
Governor Ayodele Fayose has said the Federal Government should not use the report of a military panel set up to investigate the June 21, 2014 Ekiti governorship election.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
Fayose, who spoke through the Ekiti State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Owoweni Ajayi, on Wednesday, said the verdict of the Supreme Court on the governorship election was superior to that of any tribunal.
Specifically, Fayose said that the report could not be used to prosecute the members of the Ekiti Peoples Democratic Party alleged to have been culpable in the rigging of the election.
In an open letter written by the commissioner to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Alhaji Abubakar Malami, Fayose said that plans were afoot by the Federal Government to prosecute Ekiti PDP members over the alleged rigging.
The state government said that the Supreme Court had put the contentious issues arising from the petition by the All Progressives Congress over the election to rest by delivering a judgment in favour of the governor and the PDP.
The letter said, “Although the AGF is vested with prosecutorial powers under Section 174 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the powers are neither absolute nor unlimited and they must be exercised with due caution and regard for the rule of law.”
It said the propriety or otherwise of the election had been decided from the tribunal level up to the Supreme Court and that any other panel, whether military or otherwise, could not sit over judgment on any matter already decided by the apex court.
According to the governor, the sanctity of the judicial process and respect for the principles of federalism must be adhered to always.
He added, “Unless an alleged criminal act constitutes an offence under a federal enactment, the Attorney General of the Federation will definitely be acting ultra vires by any purported move to prosecute an alleged offender before any state or federal court in Nigeria without a fiat by the Attorney General of the respective state, vested with constitutional jurisdiction to prosecute criminal matters under the state law.
“Although the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) is a federal enactment, which creates several offences triable only in the magistrate or high court of a state in which the offence is committed, prosecution of such offences can only be undertaken by the Independent National Electoral Commission, upon a recommendation made to it by an Election Petition Tribunal for the prosecution of any person or individual disclosed in an election petition or upon findings, after a thorough investigation by the police.”
The Secretary to the Ekiti State Government, Dr Modupe Alade, has debunked news that she resigned her appointment from Governor Ayodele Fayose’s government.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
News had spread to town on Monday that she had resigned her appointment for an undisclosed reason.
Social media was awash with the news of her resignation, forcing the state government to debunk the rumour in the state owned Broadcasting Service.
The rumour came barely a week after a former Commissioner for Works, Kayode Oso, resigned from the cabinet “on health ground.”
Dispelling the rumour of her alleged resignation, Alade in a terse message to journalists in Ado Ekiti, said she was on a two-week casual leave, commencing from Monday.
She said it was regrettable that people misinterpreted her vacation for outright resignation, adding that she remained a staunch loyalist of the governor.
Alade said she will return to her duty post at the expiration of her leave.
The Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has flayed President Muhammadu Buhari’s scheduled trip to China to allegedly borrow $2bn (N1.84tn) loan to finance the 2016 budget.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
Describing the move as an attempt to mortgage the future of Nigeria and its people, Fayose said the 2016 budget was not a reflection of the present economic reality in the country.
“By the time they borrow N1.84tn to fund their N6.06tn budget, I wonder how Nigeria will survive in 2017 when the Federal Government will be servicing debt with about 50 per cent of its budget,” Fayose said in a statement signed on Friday in Ado-Ekiti by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka.
He added that the budget was planned to fail.
He said, “In elementary economics, you don’t propose to spend more when your income reduces and I still can’t understand this Buharinomics in which Nigeria is going to spend N6.06tn with crude oil bench mark of $38 per barrel when the country budget was N4.5tn in 2015 when crude oil bench mark was $53 per barrel.”
The governor said since Buhari claimed that he had recovered and still recovering trillions of Naira looted from the treasury and over N3tn saved from the Treasury Single Account, he asked the President to fund the 2016 budget with the recovered fund.
Stressing that he was alerting Nigerians of the danger in the Federal Government’s plan to fund the 2016 budget with loan, the governor said, “Tomorrow, it will be said of me that I did not keep silent when Nigeria was being mortgaged to unnecessary debt.”
He warned that with the proposed N1.84tn borrowing, $2bn of which the President, according to him, is already going to borrow in China, the nation may soon be going the way of Greece because Nigeria will be borrowing N5bn per day for the next 365 days.
Fayose said, “If your income was N200, 000 per month last year and your expenditure was N195, 000 per month; does it make any economic sense for you to propose to spend N300, 000 per month this year that your income has reduced to N120, 000?
“Only President Buhari can explain to Nigerians what manner of Economic theory encourages borrowing of N1.84tn to fund a N6tn budget. As for me, it is nothing but a voodoo economic theory and Nigerians must take note that the income that should accrue to them in five years’ time is about to be spent in one year by the Buhari’s government.”
A fresh twist crept into the reconciliation between Governor Ayodele Fayose and a former Secretary of the Ekiti Peoples Democratic Party, Tope Aluko, on Tuesday, when the latter denied reconciling with Fayose.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
This came barely 48 hours after Fayose and Aluko jointly addressed journalists at the VIP section of the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, on Sunday.
Last year, Aluko alleged that Fayose, with support from former President Goodluck Jonathan, rigged the governorship election held on June 21, 2014.
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday in Lagos, Aluko, however, alleged that he was under duress when he addressed journalists in company with Fayose.
He added that the event was stage-managed by Fayose and some PDP chieftains to look like a reconciliation.
He said, “I received a call from two senior members of the party. One of them is a serving senator and the other is a former governor. I was told to come to the Eko Hotel to meet with them and I went in company with my wife.
“We were halfway into the discussion, which they tagged as a ‘Peace parley’. It should be noted that no reference was made to the 2014 (Ekiti) governorship election and the aftermath, including my revelation to the public about the way the election was rigged in favour of Ayo Fayose.
“I was shocked to see Governor Fayose walk into the meeting at this point. I won’t want to bore you with the drama and the face-off that ensued between me and Governor Fayose at the meeting.
“It is worthy of note that it was at this point that my wife barged into the meeting to inform me that she noticed the presence of pressmen downstairs, saying, ‘there is a problem’, but Fayose interrupted her and said, ‘Madam, there is no problem’.
Aluko said he stood by all the allegations he had earlier made about former President Goodluck Jonathan assisting Fayose to rig the 2014 Ekiti governorship election with the provision of security operatives and funds.
He also said he played along after sensing that his life might be in danger, but he refused to disclose the source of danger.
Aluko declined to mention the names of the PDP chieftains, whom he said invited him to the hotel.
He added, “My wife insisted and said she overheard them saying that they were called back through an SMS from Governor Fayose, saying ‘come back because T. K. Aluko is around’.
“At that point, I became enraged and decided to leave the place but I noticed Governor Fayose rushing after me downstairs in a Gestapo manner. My wife was already fidgeting and was almost crying, and suddenly, I could not find her around me.
“Immediately, I realised that I needed to obey to Governor Fayose’s instruction of facing the press because of the safety of my family.
“One fact remains clear, at no time did I, Temitope Aluko, refute anything I had earlier said before Nigerians and the whole world about the manipulations that characterised the 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State.
“You will also notice the several counter allegations by Fayose and his media team that none of them has refuted all I have said, rather, the attack has been on the messenger and not the message.”
Apologising to Nigerians for being naïve, Aluko said, “I will like to apologise to all Nigerians that, perhaps, accepting the invitation was a tactical error.
“However, I wouldn’t have accepted to attend the meeting in the first place if I had known that Ayo Fayose would be in attendance. I only chose to attend in order to honour the party leaders’ invitation.
“Finally, I need to emphasise that all that transpired at the Eko Hotel on that fateful day was an organised propaganda to stain my image and malign my integrity.”
But a statement from the Special Assistant to the Ekiti State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said the state government would not dignify Aluko with a response.
Olayinka also described Aluko as ‘a perjurer and an unstable character, who speaks from both sides of his mouth’.
He said, “As far as we are concerned, the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State, which would be willing to accommodate even Judas Iscariot or the notorious armed robber, Lawrence Anini, (if he were to be alive), could keep Temitope Aluko in its fold – that is their business.
“We don’t want a Judas in the PDP and anywhere near the government and that has been made clear.”
Some power brokers in the Peoples Democratic Party are plotting to counter an alleged plan by the current Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to transmute into the party’s presidential candidate in 2019.
There is a belief within the party that Sheriff and Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, are planning to jointly run for the presidency in 2019.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
A reliable source within the party told our correspondents that Fayose backed Sheriff for the chairmanship position because he (Fayose) had plans to be Sheriff’s running mate in the 2019 presidential election.
Two weeks ago, Sheriff, a former Governor of Borno State, had said that God “used Fayose to make me chairman.”
Already, the PDP, which is in control of only two northern states (Gombe and Taraba), has zoned the presidency to the North in 2019.
A member of the Board of Trustees of the party from the North-East who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was no way both men would be allowed to fly the party’s ticket.
The source, a party man of several years standing, said, “This is a joke of the century. These two are controversial. Sheriff has not even been allowed into the party fully.
“Now, they are saying he wants to be President. It isn’t possible. That will signify the death of the party as millions would either defect or go and form another party.”
A reliable source within the party said some party chiefs were bothered by Sheriff and Fayose’s close relationship. In recent times, both men have attended several social events together including the wedding of Fayose’s niece in Lagos on Saturday.
Ali Modu Sheriff
He said, “Sheriff is rich but he is not the richest northern politician in the PDP. He does not have the backing of the northern elements in the PDP given the fact that he is still quite new in the party. Sheriff’s tenure is meant to end by May but there is a plot to elongate his tenure till 2018 and in the process, gain control of the party structure.
“He will then resign and run for the presidency but we will not allow him.”
The source said, “Already, supporters of Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State and former FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed, are spoiling for a fight as both governors also have presidential ambitions. In the current dispensation, the governors are two of the most influential PDP politicians from the North.
“Fayose has obviously miscalculated. He is going in October 2018 and his immunity will end seven months before Buhari’s tenure ends. With the way he has been attacking President Muhammadu Buhari, I don’t know how he will survive without his immunity within that period. He thinks his support for Sheriff will endear him to northern politicians but they are not happy with him with the way he has been attacking Buhari.”
Two weeks ago, the South-West chapter of the party had declared its support for the North to retain the PDP’s national chairmanship position and endorsed Senator Buruji Kashamu as its zonal leader.
Another source, a senior party man, told our correspondent that the endorsement of Sheriff was a ploy to ensure that he remained as the chairman till 2018.
The source who is a member of the PDP Ministers’ Forum, told our correspondent that Fayose, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Kashamu were “taking members of the party for granted”.
“Sheriff’s plan is to metamorphose from the chairman to the presidential candidate and that was why Fayose brought him in. Fayose, Wike and Buruji are the ones supporting Sheriff for President. The North will get the presidency but their plan will not work because Sheriff is not our candidate,” he said.
Why Fayose is backing Sheriff — Aide
However, Fayose’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, said Fayose was concerned with governance and thus had no time to be scheming for 2019.
Adelusi said Fayose was supporting Sheriff because he wanted the party to be strong ahead of the 2019 elections.
He said, “The governor is busy with the construction of three legacy projects the New Oba Market; the flyover and the airport. These are the three legacy projects. He has even said repeatedly that he is not running for the Senate.
“His plan is to deliver the dividends of democracy. His support for Sheriff is to stabilise the party so that the party can win again in 2019. The party is almost in disarray due to the exodus of many of the leaders to the APC. He supported a national chairman that can re-engineer the party. His love for Sheriff is based on the love he has for the party.”
S’West should produce chairman — Chieftain
A chieftain of the PDP in Ogun State, Mr. Fasiu Bakene, in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, said the South-West should produce the party chairman.
He stated, “The recent call by some members of the PDP from the South-West pushing for the national chairman from the North is nothing but for personal benefit of the major convener of the meeting.
“Firstly, since 1998, the South-West had never produced the party’s chairman. Secondly, the Senator Ike Ekweremadu Committee had zoned the presidency to the North. Thirdly, it is an attempt to arm-twist and get favour of the party’s national chairman.”
Fayose bold enough to contest any office – Babatope
On his part, a Board of Trustees member of the PDP, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, said that Fayose is qualified to emerge as the vice-presidential candidate of the PDP.
Babatope, who spoke in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, on Saturday, said Fayose had yet to make his rumoured ambition public.
The former Minister of Transport, however, said that it was the turn of the South-West region to produce the next national chairman of the PDP.
He said, “Governor Ayodele Fayose has not told anyone that he wants to vie for the vice-presidential ticket of the PDP. He is a bold politician, who would come out and contest for an office he wishes to occupy. But so far, all is still in the realm of speculation.
“The South-West wanted the position of the national chairman of the PDP but former President Olusegun Obasanjo truncated the aspiration because he wanted to become the PDP BoT chairman.”
When asked if he was in contention for the PDP national chairmanship, Babatope said he was not.
“I am not running for the PDP national chairmanship. But I will support anyone from the zone to clinch the position. The South-West zone deserves the position.
“If the North is producing the presidential candidate, the South-West should have the national chairmanship position.” he said.
Babatope said the vice-presidential ticket of the PDP would be up for grabs in 2019 while that of the national chairmanship is a pressing issue.
“When we reach the river we would cross it. The vice-presidential ticket would be vied for in 2019 but the national chairmanship post is a pressing issue,” Babatope said.
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Wednesday declared that no pupil was abducted by Boko Haram from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
Over 200 pupils of the school were reportedly abducted in 2014 by the terror group.
The governor said the report was politically motivated to influence public opinion against the Goodluck Jonathan administration ahead of the 2015 general elections.
Fayose spoke while declaring open a two-day workshop on “Political Aspirants Capacity Enhancement” organised by Women Arise for Change Initiative. It was organised for women from Ekiti, Osun and Ondo states.
He said, “Today, many opposition leaders are underground. I don’t think any of these girls is missing; it is a political strategy. Who is fooling who? If you wanted to use it to remove some people, you have succeeded already.
“I don’t know if there are missing girls but no indication has shown that. It is a political strategy, because I don’t think any girl is missing. If they are missing, let them find them.”
The governor also took a swipe at #BringBackOurGirls campaigners, saying some of them are using it to look for appointments.
He lamented that human rights groups had decided to keep quite since President Muhammadu Buhari came on board.
Fayose said, “I’m concerned about the activities of human rights groups. Today the government of the day is obeying court order of their choice, while human rights are not respected.
“We must talk about government providing cover for criminals. You are now using that person to harass innocent person. You will never have peace when you hide justice.”
He added, “Police came into town yesterday (Tuesday) to arrest political opponents. If you like, demonise me, I will demonise you. I don’t need the police and the SSS (Department of State Services) to walk in my state. It is when you are not popular that you walk with police.
“Any government that rises against me, that government will come down. I’m Peter the rock. By engaging me, you make me more popular and relevant and then court sympathy. I’m one person that is going places. That is why all these challenges are against me.”
The governor urged women seeking elective offices to be loyal to their husbands.
The President of the initiative, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, said the objective of the workshop was to enhance women political participation and their inclusion in decision making process by promoting female political aspirants and appointees. She said it was to encourage a more massive political mobilisation of women.
She lamented that Nigerian women had not fully involved themselves in politics, despite the constitutional provisions giving them rights to political participation.
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose on Tuesday flagged off the construction of a N5.7b worth flyover in Ado Ekiti, promising to deliver the project within 24 months.
Fayose
At the event, Fayose, who described the 1.2-kilometre flyover project as the first of its kind in the state said it was part of his plans to ease traffic in the state capital city.
The flyover will begin at Fajuyi area and terminate at Ojumose.
Fayose warned the contractor against unnecessary delay, saying the project must be delivered within the stipulated time.
“This was a project that has been in my heart desire during my first term. I nearly awarded it before that unfortunate incident happened. I saw it as a landmark achievement because you can’t get it in Ondo or Osun State.
“I have promised that I won’t abandon any project for my successor. I shall complete every project that I awarded, because I don’t want to leave any burden behind.
“Whatever we do will remain in our name, particularly the physical project and that is why I charge the traditional rulers to appeal to politicians to give peace a chance, because it is only under an atmosphere of peace that you can witness development.
“I am not going to limit physical construction to road alone, I will soon flag off the construction of ultra-modern High Court complex with modern facilities for effective and efficient administration of justice.
“Some of you will ask me how am I going to achieve this in view of the poor allocations to the state, but don’t worry, don’t be hopeless.
“I rely on the little taxes and rates to be paid by citizens to be able to boost our IGR to do all these. With your supports, all these shall be achieved,” he said.
The Chairman, Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers, Oba Samuel Adedapo and the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo, who praised the governor for his zeal to develop Ekiti, appealed to politicians to give peace a chance to forestall unnecessary crisis that could cause distraction.
They said Ekiti will continue to appreciate Fayose’s efforts to develop the state in spite of the dwindling federal allocation.
The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of conducting himself in a manner that threatens national security.
It said the governor’s recent utterances and actions suggested acts of sabotage targeted at rendering national institutions ineffective to perform their statutory roles for effective government.
The state Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said in a statement on Monday that Fayose’s unguided statements had exposed him as a man fighting a lone battle against the Federal Government.
He alleged that Fayose was nursing selfish motives to put millions of Nigerians in jeopardy of instability in an already tottering economy.
“We have heard of reports of Governor Fayose inciting the people to stone the operatives of the DSS anywhere they are seen. This is besides saying many unprintable things about the President (Muhammadu Buhari), such as saying that he would soon die and declaring the Director General of DSS, Lawal Musa Daura, person non grata in Ekiti State.
“It is regrettable that Fayose cannot separate his personal views as a man constantly at war with the Nigerian law from the views of lawful Ekiti people, who are ready to submit themselves to the Nigerian law where the rule of law and good governance flourish,” he said.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
Accusing the governor of running a government built on his personal image, the APC spokesman said this misconception had “robbed Ekiti people the quality leadership with the right mindset to see governance beyond the prism of self-glorification.”
“This failure to see governance beyond personal appeal of the governor has cost our state good governance for the development of our people and her deserved place of honour in this country.
“Governor Fayose is overwhelmed with promoting cloudy characters, with several alleged crimes hanging on their necks far above Ekiti academic pride of the century, Ayodele Dada, who bagged the best graduating student award at the University of Lagos with a record 5.0 GPA.
“We are not surprised at the governor’s beatification of crime in this instance, because you can only give what you have and gold is usually sold to the person who knows its value. That is why Fayose would prefer to celebrate thugs and roughnecks to celebrating Ekiti golden boy that has put Ekiti State on the map of academic honour at the University of Lagos.”
Olatunbosun urged Nigerians not to be misled by Fayose’s many lies against the agencies of government in the prosecution of alleged crimes by him and his supporters, regretting that many Nigerians with scant knowledge of the governor’s politics had been deceived into believing the stories of an alleged invasion of the House of Assembly by the DSS to abduct the lawmakers.
“Besides suborning the staff of the Assembly to lie against the DSS by presenting purported spent bullets, there is no evidence to show the world that the DSS actually invaded Ekiti House of Assembly after police report on the matter and evidence by workers proved that there was no invasion of the Assembly by the DSS,” Olatunbosun explained.
He urged security agencies to pay more attention to the governor by putting him under close watch to forestall his threat to Buhari’s government.
But reacting through his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, Fayose said he would not take issue with the APC since President Buhari had personally apologised to Nigerians over his “inadequacies.”
He said, “And we told him (Buhari) he should go beyond mere apology and address the lapses and provide sensible, responsible government and dividend of democracy to Nigerians who voted for him.
“The Ekiti State APC is crying more than the bereaved. Governor Fayose has no apology for criticising obnoxious policies of President Buhari. The statement of the APC has proved the collaboration between the DSS and the APC. Or at what point does the APC become the spokesperson and defender for the DSS? The APC and DSS are toothless and reckless.”
Members of Ekiti State House of Assembly have demanded an unreserved apology from the Department of State Services (DSS) over the March 4, 2016 invasion of the House of Assembly and unlawful detention of a member of the House, representing Efon Constituency, Hon Afolabi Akanni for 18 days, threatening to seek redress and damages in court
DSS operatives
The lawmakers, who described the act of impunity by the DSS under President Mohammadu Buhari as undemocratic, unpatriotic, dictatorial and brutish, also demanded a thorough medical examination of Hon.
Akanni, saying; “we fear that his health and general well-being could have been compromised while in the DSS custody.”
Addressing the press today, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon. Gboyega Aribisogan, who was flanked by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Kola Oluwawole, Deputy Speaker; Hon Segun Adewumi and 16 others, said the DSS must explain to Nigerians whether in a democracy, it was part of the its mandate to disobey court orders and dump
Nigerians in detention for 18 days on unfounded allegations.
The statement read in full; “Yesterday, we read online like other Nigerians that our member, representing Efon Constituency, Hon Afolabi Akanni who has been in the Department of State Services (DSS) detention in Abuja since March 4 was on admission at a private hospital in Abuja.
“Up till this moment, we have not been told officially by the DSS whether or not Hon Akanni was formally released from incarceration after spending 18 days without access to his doctors, lawyers and family members.
“However, preliminary information available to us suggests that Hon Akanni may have been brought to the hospital by men of the DSS and abandoned there because they could no longer hold him in captivity because of his deteriorating health condition.
“Nigerians should be reminded that it took the rumour of Hon Akanni’s death for the DSS to admit officially that it was holding him after spending 15 days in detention without access to anyone.
“As we speak, Hon Akanni is in very critical condition and he has not been able to speak with anyone of us.
“As reported in the media, Hon Akanni could only say that he was sick, he was not well when press men sought to speak with him yesterday.
“We therefore demand an official explanation from the DSS as to why Hon. Akanni was abducted and held incommunicado for 18 days, only for us to be told that he was admitted at a private hospital in Abuja.
“We also demand a thorough medical examination of Hon. Akanni as we fear that his health and general well-being could have been compromised while in the DSS custody.
“Furthermore, we demand an explanation from the DSS whether in a democracy, it is part of the its mandate to disobey court orders and dump Nigerians in detention for 18 DAYS on unfounded allegations.
“Most importantly, we condemn strongly the DSS illegal arrest, detention and dehumanisation of Hon Akanni and we demand an unreserved apology forthwith.
“We have also directed our counsel to seek redress and damages in court because to us, this act of impunity by the DSS under President Mohammadu Buhari is undemocratic, unpatriotic, dictatorial and brutish.
“Detaining Nigerians for weeks without trial is a clear return of Decree 2, with which President Buhari hounded Nigerians in detention when he was a military dictator and we in the Ekiti State House of Assembly will continue to support our leader and Governor, Peter Ayodele Fayose in his fight against tyranny.
“We wish to also alert the public that men of the DSS have been visiting schools attended by some of our members, in search of their academic records.
“Though we are not afraid of anyone or agency of government investigating the academic background of our members, it is important that the DSS face its core mandate of gathering intelligence for the security of Nigeria and its people.
“We wish to advise the DSS to pay more attention to the growing insecurity in the country, instead of acting as an arm of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to pursue the evil agenda of destabilising the Fayose-led government.
“Lastly, we wish to reiterate our commitment to the development of Ekiti State, which is being championed committedly by Governor Ayodele Fayose and we state that no amount of intimidation and harassment will
make us join the enemies of Ekiti, whose only interest is to grab power for their personal gains.”
ABUJA—Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state has said that the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers or his own State would not be acceptable.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
The governor who spoke to State House Correspondents at the end of the opening ceremony of the National Economic Council Summit at the Old Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja was reacting to the outcome of the national assembly/State House rerun elections in the state.
Fayose condemned what he called the “militarization” of state during elections, saying that what happened in Rivers was a pointless display of ego.
“They have been insinuating that too in Ekiti. We have been waiting for them. Power has gone beyond the leaders, power has gone back to the people.
“There are certain things leaders will do today, you will eat it tomorrow.
“You want to declare state of emergency, declare it and we will tell you that the state of emergency will not work too. This country belongs to all of us.”
The governor also condemned the election in its entirety, calling for transparency.
He also expressed displeasure over the detention of Ekiti State Lawmaker by the Department of State Security, DSS.
“I want to condemn the election in Rivers State. I want to condemn the militarization.
“Like I said to some people yesterday, if in Ekiti election nobody was slapped, nobody died, the person defeated congratulated the winner, do we now call this Rivers election Rivers of Blood?
“Because for a peaceful election in Ekiti and this in Rivers, the military has got no business in our election.
“Now, I want to say that if you watch the trend, PDP has always won all the elections after the annulment, which means what happened in Rivers is just a service of ego of some individuals who believe they have Nigeria in their pockets.
They can call the president at will to deploy the military and it’s unfortunate that somebody would allow the military to kill his own people.
“I strongly condemn the elections in Rivers and charge that we sustain the legacy of transparent elections. “For me in Ekiti, we learned from that and we are prepared. We prepare for elections everyday and we are fully prepared.
Ekiti youths protest continued detention of lawmaker
Meantime, youths in Ekiti under the aegis of the National Youths Council (NYC), Ekiti State chapter, yesterday staged a peaceful protest against what they described as unlawful , continued detention of Honourable Afolabi Akanni, lawmaker representing Efon constituency at the Ekiti State House of Assembly.
Many of the youths, who massed at the Fajuyi Park in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital marched in peaceful protest to Oke-Isa, Ejigbo, and the Federal High Court, stopping at each vantage point to address the teeming crowd following them, arguing that the continued detention of Akanni since March 4, during the alleged invasion of Ekiti Assembly Complex by men of the Department of State Services, (DSS), is not only illegal but a deliberate slap on the constitution of Nigeria.
Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has suspended 16 teachers at Elo High School, Ayetoro Ekiti, for allegedly using their pupils as labourers on their farms during school hours.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
He has also ordered a full-scale investigation into the matter.
Fayose gave the directive in Ado Ekiti while receiving the report of a team led by the Deputy Governor, Dr Kolapo Olusola, that went to the school for a preliminary investigation.
According to a statement on Sunday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, the governor took the action following complaints from parents that their children were being made by some of their teachers to work on their farms during school hours.
The statement read partly, “Some of the affected students, who were brought to the Government House, Ado Ekiti, said under the guise of doing practical agriculture, their teachers took them to their private farms at least twice a week during official hours to work for at least 30 minutes.
“One of them, Oluyeye Femi, a JSS 3 pupil, said though the school has a farm where pupils are expected to work once a week, some teachers capitalise on that to take them to their private farms to weed and make heaps.
“A member of the National Youth Service Corps posted to the school, Miss Giredana Enogha, said when she got to the school last June, the situation was like a farm settlement. She added that the pupils were not encouraged to do any other thing than to go to farm all day.”
The governor, who was angered by the report, ordered at least 80 per cent of the teachers be transferred from the school.
He said, “This is sheer slavery. The teachers mentioned must be suspended immediately. The principal, who just got there two months ago, is exempted.
“But the former principal, who has been posted to somewhere in Ilasa Ekiti, must be investigated as well. Those that have taught in the school since 2012 must be investigated.
“Any teacher who uses pupils as farm workers will have himself to blame. That is slavery and I will tackle it. Pupils are taken to farms under the guise of doing agricultural practical. Those indicted will not go unpunished. This is not nice and it is uncalled for.”
Members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly have raised the alarm over plot to coerce them into impeaching Governor Ayodele Fayose, revealing that a sum of $1 million was being promised some of the members that will be ready to be part of the impeachment plot.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
The Assembly members, who vowed not to collaborate with anyone to truncate the government of Governor Fayose, added that, they were prepared to spend the rest of their tenure in DSS cell, instead of joining people that they roundly defeated in five straight elections to cause another political instability in Ekiti State.
Addressing the press on Tuesday, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon Gboyega Aribisogan disclosed that “In the last four days, eight of our members had been visited by some men, who claimed to be officials of the DSS.
“Our members were told that their names were among those to be arrested and they must ‘cooperate’ if they do not want their bank accounts frozen and be kept in DSS detention indefinitely.”
The lawmakers said the 2006 experience, in which Assembly members in Ekiti State were hounded in EFCC detention and made to sign impeachment of Governor Fayose on the table of the EFCC Chairman will never be repeated in the State.
Aribisogan, who was flanked by 13 other members of the House of Assembly said: “We are here to inform the public through your various medium the open involvement of men of the Department of State Service (DSS) from Abuja in the plot to unseat our State Governor, Mr Peter Ayodele Fayose.
“Last Friday’s invasion of the State House of Assembly by armed men of the DSS in which four of our members were abducted, has been established to be a prelude to the clandestine plot to coerce members of the House of Assembly to impeach Governor Fayose.
“As at today, even Hon Afolabi Akanni that we were able to confirm was with the DSS in Abuja is being held incommunicado. No one has been given access to him, not even his lawyers and doctors. We do not have any information as to the whereabouts of the other three.
“We are aware of the plot to arrest no fewer than 18 of our members with a view to forcing them to sign impeachment notice against Governor Fayose.
“The plot is being hatched by the same elements who masterminded the impeachment of Governor Fayose in 2006, which was eventually declared illegal by the Supreme Court and they are boasting of support of the DSS and the Presidency.
“In the last four days, eight of our member had been visited by some men, who claimed to be officials of the DSS. Our members were told that their names were among those to be arrested and they must “cooperate” if they do not want their bank accounts frozen and be kept in DSS detention indefinitely.
“They went on to promise that proper arrangement had been made for the impeachment of the governor, with a sum of $1 million already earmarked for sharing among “cooperating” assembly members.
“Also, our members were told that they will be provided with soft-landing in the APC if they cooperate. One of them revealed that they promised to make him the Speaker, and eventually the Acting Governor.
“We however wish to tell the plotters of evil against the government of Ayodele Fayose and by extension the people of Ekiti State that we, members of the State House of Assembly are not interested in their evil plot.
“We are prepared to spend the rest of our tenure in DSS cell, instead of joining people that we roundly defeated in five straight elections to cause another political instability in Ekiti State.
“These agents of destabilisation should be reminded of the 2006 episode, which was responsible for Ekiti State having six governors in three years!
“Most importantly, Governor Fayose is our benefactor. He is our leader on whose political strength we are members of the State House of Assembly. We can even be called his stooges, we don’t mind. We will never do anything to jeopardise his interest and be extension, interests of Ekiti people.
“We therefore wish to state unequivocally that we are not interested in any $1 million.
“We won’t because of any blood money join forces with enemies of our State, who are desirous of destabilising the State just because they lost power.”
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose Governor Nyesom on Saturday accused President Muhammadu Buhari of mapping ways towards making Nigeria an Islamic nation.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
Fayose made the allegations while delivering a speech at the inter–denominational thanksgiving held in Port-Harcourt to celebrate the victory of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike after the supreme court ruling.
Governor Fayose, who referred to himself as Peter, the rock who cannot be harmed by anyone, announced to the crowd that he had a secret to reveal.
He asked those present if he should reveal the big secret about the Buhari led, APC government. After the crowd yelled that he should reveal it, Fayose said: “They have started subtle moves to make Nigeria an Islamic nation, but God will stop them. This was done in 1984, it failed, it would fail again.”
To underline an earlier boast that he could not be intimidated by the ruling party, Fayose further stated: “I am not far away, I am in Ekiti. I am Ayo Fayose, Peter the rock, if you hit me you will be in trouble. If I hit you, you will be in trouble.”
To substantiate his claim about the President’s plan to make Nigeria an Islamic nation, Fayose said: “Why did five of them go to Saudi Arabia to wait for our man there (referring to President Buhari and state governors), if they don’t have agenda.
“The agenda is coming small small, but we will resist it. Nigeria is a free nation where we proclaim the name of Jesus Christ freely, and we believe in Allah for those who are muslims. This nation will not be taken for an Islamic nation,”
Fayose said. As a closing remark, the Ekiti State governor went on to declare and “decree” the return of a PDP-led government in 2019.
The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has relieved the Chairman of the State Internal Revenue Board, Ropo Ogunjobi, of his duties for negligence leading to an alleged fraud running into millions of Naira.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
Two other officials of the board were on Thursday arrested by the police in connection with the alleged fraud.
The two suspected racketeers allegedly forged the receipts meant for the newly introduced fee for Tipper Trucks’ Haulage.
The suspects, Mr. Omotayo Ojo, an official of the revenue board and a printer, Mr. Akinniyi Akinsola, have reportedly made confessional statements to the police upon interrogation, indicting some other members of staff. Ojo reportedly confessed to have made N250, 000 from the fraud with the backing of some senior officials of the board.
He reportedly said he had printed 10 booklets of receipts with which he had been defrauding the government by collecting N500 rate per trip from tipper truck owners.
Although, the amount involved in the scam was not immediately known, sources said it could run into millions of Naira.
The governor warned the people of the state to stop paying money directly to any government official but rather approach the banks for such payments.
The governor, in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Modupe Alade, said, “The Revenue Chairman, Ropo Ogunjobi, who also doubles as Special Assistant to the State Governor on Revenue Matters, should hand over to the most senior officer of the board.”
Fayose said the arrested duo would be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others while expressing surprise that workers could still engage in defrauding the state despite the dwindling economic fortunes of the state.
He said, “The people should stop paying to the officials of the board. They should pay to the banks because these touts were on the rampage and they can dupe you. “Ekiti needs money and you all know that this has been the headache of this government and we have been doing our best to shore up the revenue, but these people are desperate to thwart our efforts. They are cornering our money.”
Meanwhile, Fayose has told citizens of the state who have attained age 18 and above but have no Permanent Voter Cards that they risk losing their rights and privileges in the state.
He said, “If you don’t have your PVC, you may no longer enjoy benefits from government because very soon, about 10,000 people will benefit N10, 000 monthly in our social security scheme.”
The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has said Governor Ayodele Fayose’s opposition to the Treasury Single Account policy of the Federal Government is a deliberate ploy to conceal fraud.
Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC
The party noted that Fayose was the only governor opposed to the policy of the Federal Government when all other governors had embraced it to save their states from fraudulent practices among government officials.
Fayose had on Friday told the Federal Government to perish the thought of imposing the TSA on states, saying it was not in the position to counsel or force any state to accept policies that were not working for those that introduced them.
In a press statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, he advised the Federal Government to rather face the dwindling economy of the country instead of going about grandstanding on a TSA policy that was already tainted with fraud.
He likened the Federal Government to a blind man trying to lead people who can see clearly.
But the Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, in a statement on Monday said the governor’s aversion for accountability in financial matters showed he had an ulterior motive to defraud the state.
“TSA is aimed at ensuring that all government earnings are paid into a single account to ensure accountability and check fraud unlike in the past where several governments’ accounts were scattered in many banks to perpetrate frauds.
“For a governor who describes himself as a friend of the poor to oppose a policy that will make the same poor people enjoy the benefits of transparent governance is the height of irresponsibility and a confirmation of allegations of fraud against the governor in his handling of financial issues.
“We can now see the reason why the governor has opened several channels of revenue collections to be paid into several phoney accounts that revenue collection officers are describing as opaque.”
Olatunbosun alleged that the governor kept a secret account not known to the state treasury into which taxes and fines “imposed on Ekiti people are paid, notably fines on traffic offences and suffocating taxes he imposed on poor traders that he deceived with abundance of life during campaigns.
“After sacking thousands of workers in youth empowerment scheme and permanent secretaries; after cutting monarchs’ and workers’ allowances and running grants and after stopping funds for social security scheme for the elderly and security agencies but increasing his personal monthly security vote from N100m to N250, Fayose hired less than 200 political appointees as against over 800 appointees by Governor Kayode Fayemi, yet he tells Ekiti people that he pays the same N2.6 billion that Fayemi paid as salaries and allowances to workers monthly.”
Olatunbosun added that the reason for Fayose’s opposition to TSA was to hide these details to perpetrate fraud, noting that there was no way the governor could have been paying the same bill Fayemi paid as monthly wages to workers.
“Fayose has no explanation to make to Ekiti people on how he spent N22b refund on federal road projects, the N2b ecological fund, several billions of naira statutory allocations to the state and LGAs and N9.1 bailout cash, among others.
“Fayose has not said anything about the Internally Generated Revenue of the state, which he has embarked upon with an aggressive drive thereby bringing untold hardship on the citizens. What of the school fees he introduced in primary and secondary schools, including high fees in tertiary institutions?” he queried.
He alleged that the government ran several fictitious accounts on the alleged instructions of the governor, saying this was a practice that must not go unchallenged by the people who would be ultimate beneficiaries of TSA policy being promoted by the Federal Government.
He urged all Ekiti citizens home and abroad to call the governor to order to stop his “unnecessary belligerent” attitude to the Federal Government simply because he belonged to the opposition.
“Fayose’s attitude will cause dire consequences on the hapless citizens of the state, as corporate organisations planning to invest in the state will think twice on the governor bitterly averse to transparency while at the same time unleashing taxes that cannot be accounted for.”
The party called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Central Bank of Nigeria and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to beam their searchlights on Ekiti State’s various fictitious accounts that Fayose prefered to a single accounting system that checks frauds.
“We are confident that the findings of these agencies will reveal the reason why Fayose is opposed to the TSA policy,” Olatunbosun added.
