Ekiti Guber: PDP, APC trade words over election funds

Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekiti

The campaign organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), candidate, Prof. Kolapo Eleka, on Thursday alleged that the Federal Government moved N18 billion cash into Ekiti State through Akure airport, meant to allegedly induce the electorate during Saturday’s poll.

Director, Media and Publicity of the campaign, Lere Olayinka, said, “Last week Saturday, two bullion vehicles were moved to the Akure Airport to evacuate cash brought in from Abuja on a chartered flight.

“The flight landed when it was raining and staff of the airport were barred from going near the aircraft while the cash was evacuated into the two bullion vehicles.

“After offloading the huge cash, the bullion van first moved to the Ondo State Government House, Akure from where they left for Isan Ekiti, the hometown of the APC governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

“From our preliminary findings, N2.5 billion cash was transferred by the Kebbi State Government to an account in UBA, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja. It was withdrawn immediately and moved with a private jet to Akure.

“Also, apart from the N2.5 billion, another $50 million (about N18bn) was taken from the $321 million recovered from the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s family.

“We call on Nigerians to note this wanton looting of public fund by the APC government to fund election of its members. We must tell Fayemi and his APC that the conscience of the people of Ekiti cannot be purchased and we call on the people of Ekiti to resist the planned use of stolen funds to buy their votes of Saturday.

“Let me say it clearly that no amount of intimidation will scare our people away from the polling units where they will vote for the PDP on Saturday.

“We have the people behind us and they are more than ready to give our candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola Eleka their votes on Saturday,” he said.

However, the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation denied allegation that the Federal Government brought in N18b through the Akure Airport to Ekiti State, saying the PDP was hallucinating, describing the release by Olayinka as the handiwork of “a professional liar.”

Director of Media and Publicity Secretary, Wole Olujobi, said, “Lere Olayinka has a background of integrity deficiency in information dissemination in strict complement with his boss.

“Across the country and the world audience through social media, Olayinka is renowned for his notoriety to concoct falsehoods and present them to readers as facts.

“Discerning minds will note the lies contained in the story by a single logic that it took Eleka and Olayinka a whole week after the leak of funds movement before they alerted Nigerians about a purported money cargo being offloaded in Akure for Fayemi’s election in Ekiti.

“By this lie from the pit of hell, we know that PDP is trying to paint a picture that it is a comrade-in-crime with APC after Fayose’s 2014 poll fraud funded with the loot from the office of the National Security Adviser” Olujobi said.