ADO EKITI—Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, yesterday accused the Alhaji Adamu Muazu-led National Working Committee, NWC of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP , of selling the party to the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, in the March 28 and April 11 general elections.
President Goodluck Jonathan lost to General Muhammadu Buhari in the presidential election.
The governor also challenged the NWC to provide evidence of money released to him to prosecute the last elections.
“Only N30 million was received for the last two elections and to the glory of the Almighty God and support of Ekiti people, we won all elections outright,’’ Fayose boasted.
Although he demanded for the mode with which money was released to him by the NWC, authoritative sources said he got N2 billion ecological fund meant to prosecute the elections.
About the CWC’s lacklustre performance, the governor said; “How do we explain the PDP losing so scandalously in Bauchi State, despite the presence of the National Chairman, Federal Capital Territory Minister and the state governor?
“I am even more particular about the National Chairman because he sold the party to the opposition. I have cogent evidences of his unholy alliance with the opposition before the elections and if they go any further, I will expose all his underhand deals.”
Ayodele Fayose
Fayose insisted that his call for the dissolution of the Adamu Mu’azu-led National Working Committee (NWC) was in good faith, and in the overall interest of the party.
“I have no apology on my position on the NWC because their responsibility as party leaders does not take away their failure in the last general elections,” Fayose said.
Fayose insisted on the dissolution of the NWC. He said: “In saner climes, when a war commander leads his troop to an embarrassing defeat, such commander does not need anyone to tell him that he needs to leave the war front for another commander to take over.”
While describing the attack on his person by the NWC as unfortunate, the governor said it was sad that the NWC members, especially the National Chairman were refusing to allow new people to manage the party after managing it into its first national electoral failure.
“I want to say it again that I have no apology for calling for the resignation of the NWC members, especially the National Chairman. After all, someone resigned his position as the National Chairman for Mu’azu to assume office.
“Lastly, let me say it categorically that they can only attempt to destroy this party for the moment, not for ever. Sooner or later, they will all fade away and PDP will rise again,” the governor said.
Fayose, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, reiterated his commitment to the PDP, pointing out that if it remained only him in the party, he would continue to defend its cause.
“If it remains only me, I will continue to defend the cause of this party because some people are born to stand up at difficult times, and I believe I am one of such people born to stand up for the PDP at this difficult time,” he said.
No excuse to owe Ekiti workers — APC
Meantime, the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ekiti State has said Governor Fayose has no reason for non-payment of workers’ salaries, noting that all excuses for the delay are stunts of an insincere administration out to fleece Ekiti money for personal benefit.
Publicity Secretary of the APC, Taiwo Olatubosun, said yesterday, that what Ekiti workers were experiencing in non-payment of salaries was a systematic defrauding of the state.
He asked workers to reflect on their experiences while Dr Kayode Fayemi was the governor and ask themselves how the former governor was able to pay them regularly while at the same time servicing debt and implementing capital projects but Fayose could not do either of the two, even when he is not servicing any debt since the last six months.
Wondering why the governor could not pay salaries, Olatubosun said: “Governor Fayose has not paid one kobo of Ekiti debt since he assumed office. He sought moratorium of six months within which there would be no deduction in Ekiti federal allocation. That means Fayose saves N500 million that Fayemi was paying in debt when he was the governor, therefore, the weather-beaten tale that Fayemi left a huge debt behind is boring and unconvincing.
“The Federal Government had refunded N22 billion that Fayemi spent on federal projects. Another N2 billion Ecological Fund had been paid.
‘’Fayose denied payment of Ecological Fund until we obtained FOI Law to expose his lie. He quickly owned up and two weeks later he announced that he had awarded contracts on ecological disasters across the state where the whole N2 billion was spent.
“We are asking Ekiti people to point to any ecological project in their communities to prove the governor right.”
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
