Thirteen days to the governorship election in Ekiti State, some of the principal actors in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have, again, engaged in a verbal war.
On Sunday, the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of spinning “irresponsible lies”, saying that lies will not save the governor and his candidate, Prof Olusola Eleka, from defeat in the July 14 governorship poll.
Fayose had at the weekend on the state radio accused the APC candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi, of planning to compromise the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the poll, saying also that Fayemi planned to ban okada operations and sack workers through competency tests if he wins the governorship election.
But in a swift reaction, Director of Media and Publicity of the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, Wole Olujobi, said Fayose’s lies will not save him from defeat, as “Ekiti people are done with a fraudulent and callous administration that manipulates the people always for selfish motives”.
He said: “Fayose is haunted by his past when he criminally manipulated INEC to win 2014 election as revealed in Captain Sagir Koli audio tape where Fayose himself was heard talking about how he collected INEC sensitive materials he said he printing, including talking about how the results of the election of June 21 was collated in Efon-Alaaye on June 19, two days before the election and as was corroborated by PDP State Secretary, Tope Aluko, in his testimony to the security agencies.
“Fayemi never plans to sack okada operators as he always insists, instead, he will strengthen their operations like he once did when he bought over 150 motorcycles and helmets for Okada Association Cooperative Society to improve their living conditions.
“Instead of sacking workers, Fayemi during his campaign visits in the last two weeks always insisted that he will never sack workers, instead, he will develop a policy that will encourage job creation as one of the cardinal programmes of his Eight-point Agenda.”
Olujobi berated Fayose for always employing lies to achieve the “ignoble objective of robbing Ekiti people all the time and at all times”.
Describing the governor as a man in need of salvation from leading a life of lies, Fayemi’s spokesman explained:
“The only thing that Nigerians and indeed peoples of the world must believe in Fayose is when they see him breathing, which is the evidence that he is still living; everything else is fake and lies.
“Fayose’s show of shame as a pathological liar at the Ado Ekiti High Court hearing of a libel suit he filed against Femi Falana (SAN) and TheNews magazine in 2006 over alleged defamation of character typifies the life of lies he leads.
“In the open court during cross-examination, Fayose recklessly lied and lied so much that the presiding Judge, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, who is now the Chief Judge of the state, and all the counsel in the court, including Fayose’s lawyers, were watching and shaking their heads in disbelief as Fayose lied and lied so much that he was also contradicting himself.
“During judgement, Justice Daramola told Fayose that he was an incorrigible liar, as he was found to be lying throughout the cross-examination, and consequently, the judge dismissed the case, telling Fayose that he had no integrity to protect.
“Fayose, about 60 years old and grandfather, lied for more than a year denying that he ever collected N2b Ecological Fund and monthly N1.3b Budget Support Facility for 13 months.
“In the case of the N2b ecological fund, Fayose never owned up collecting the money until he got information that APC planned to approach the Ecological Fund office in Abuja for confirmation.
“The same week he owned up, he announced Ecological project contract totalling exactly N2b, even though up till now, there is no evidence of ecological project anywhere in the state, as floods ravaged the state early in April.
“As for the budget support fund he collected to pay workers salary, for long, Fayose denied collecting the facility until the Federal Government published the figures, the same way he denied borrowing one naira until DMO published the states’ debts showing that Fayose had borrowed N56b between 2014 and 2018.
“Unfortunately, this is the man Ekiti people are doomed to have as their governor and who Nigerians and other peoples of the world read in the news as leading Ekiti people renowned for integrity, learning and honour.”
Describing Fayose as the Pharaoh in the life of Ekiti people, Olujobi said Ekiti people were set to return from Egypt, “and there is no amount of lies that will make them vote for Prof Olusola Eleka who the governor is propping to sustain his continuity agenda for mass poverty while Fayose and his family enjoy the life of bliss”.
Earlier, Fayose raised the alarm that Fayemi hired four top officials of INEC from the headquarters in Abuja, to manipulate the July 14 poll to favour the APC.
He also alleged that the Federal Government has been delaying allocations to states in the federation because of the July 14 poll in Ekiti, with a view to instigate workers in the state against his administration.
The governor gave the names of the four INEC officials as Pasca Ukenwa, Deputy Director, ICT, Abdulrasak Agboola, also Deputy Director, ICT, Kenneth Ukeagu, Procurement Officer, and INEC Commissioner, Amina Zakari, saying: “I am still raising the alarm again of the plan of three Abuja senior officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); Pasca Ukenwa, Deputy Director, ICT, Abdulrasak Agboola, also Deputy Director, ICT, and Kenneth Ukeagu, Procurement Officer of INEC, they are working with Fayemi in a desperate plan to rig the July 14 governorship poll in Ekiti. Ukaegu is planning to get ballot papers for Fayemi while the ICT directors are planning to reload card readers for Fayemi. Ukeagu is assuring Fayemi that if he can reload the card readers, he would get the ballot papers for them.
The three INEC officers are all working with Amina Zakari, another big shot of INEC in Abuja. Zakari was the one Anambra rejected with a claim that she would rig the last Anambra election in the state. Zakari is a professional rigger and I have no apology for that statement.
” All the APC plans to do is to rig the election but we will reject that. They got into power at the federal level because the process was transparent. I have told INEC not to rig for me because the people of Ekiti are solidly behind our candidate.
” We know all about the plans of APC and all the movements of everyone working with him to manipulate the electoral process. Part of their plan to stuff their pockets with ballot papers when coming to vote. I urge Ekiti people, don’t go away once you have voted, stay with your votes. They have also brought thugs in all the hotels, but we know where they are and they can’t do anything.
“The Federal Government has refused to share the allocation. They decided to delay so that workers in Ekiti would be angry with Fayose. They held a meeting last week Saturday and decided to delay the allocation so that workers won’t get salaries until after July 14 poll. They are owing me two budget support. They delayed the salaries of the workers across the nation because of Ekiti. Is that a government that loves the masses?”
The governor also took a critical swipe at Fayemi, alleging that the state has not benefited anything from the ex-minister’s appointment into the federal government cabinet.
” If Fayemi were to be governor he wouldn’t have been able to fight against Fulani herdsmen in Ekiti the way I had done because he would be afraid of Buhari.
“Tinubu said Fayemi is Buhari’s friend but is Bubari coming to rule Ekiti? A Buhari’s friend cannot tackle herdsmen menace because Buhari’s himself has failed to deal with the challenge at the national level.
” For Fayemi to have condemned the success of our students in NECO exams is bad. He said that our children who came tops in exams had had their exam answers bought for them is appalling and an height of reckless statement.
“Fayemi is coming with bitterness to come and devour and destroy all of you. I know what I am saying.
I have served you before and I am still serving you and you can know the difference, ” he said.
Speaking further about the July 14 poll, he said: “The power of the people is greater than those of us in power, peoples’ might is greater than federal might. Anything that does not represent the truth in this poll will fail.
“The opposition are fighting God and they will fail. We will beat APC 16 :0 again. There will be a mother of all rallies on Thursday, July, 5 where the PDP flag will be given to our candidate, Olusola Kolapo Eleka. There will also be victory walk where all of us will wear white, and walk through the state capital praising God and thanking him for victory over our enemies.
“He lamented the recent wave of violence in some quarters in the state and urged members of PDP to desist from violent activities: ” See how APC attacked people in Fayose market and Oloje Ekiti.
Our power is our PVC, l urge men of God both those supporting me and those not, to campaign to people to go get their PVC
” I urge all PDP members once again not to retaliate the APC thugs, reserve your strength till the say of election. It is not a physical combat but one done with your PVCs.Don’t take arms against anybody, don’t fight. Avoid distribution of money during the poll, it could land you in prison. I promise all Okada men, to provide fuel so you take our people with half price for movement during the poll, ” he said.
But in his own reaction, Prince Dayo Adeyeye described Fayose as “a frustrated and desperate man”
Adeyeye, a former Minister of State for Works, in a
statement on Sunday in Ado Ekiti, the state
capital, by Mr Niyi Ojo, the Director of Press for his campaign organisation, PAAM, said recent actions of Fayose have pointed to the fact that he is not his normal self and that many recent political losses, he is experiencing have turned him into a desperate man, bent on holding on to the power, that is fast slipping away from him, a reality, he said, is staring him in the eyes.
The statement explains its assertions; ”Fayose is confused,
desperate, frustrated and desperate at the moment. His recent actions
shows that he is not his usual confident and braggart self.
”He recently promoted 46,000 workers in one clear swoop, in order to
entice the workers in the state to vote for his anointed candidate.
”He is not even making any attempt to cover up his tracks. He did not
even bother to dress it up, from the political gimmick that it is. The
act was purely an election gimmick, and he is not even bothered about
people knowing that it was a political charade.
”Everybody knew it was a political gimmick, it shows his level of
desperation. These are workers he has not paid for eight months now
and he has been going round to collect and clone their PVCs in the
Government House.
The former PDP chieftain also alleged that the Governor has been
going round schools in the state, dishing out the sum of N1.5 million
Naira and bowls of rice per school, to teachers, he has not paid for
eight months.
”These are schools without roads and other necessary facilities. He
has neglected these schools and their environments, since he became
Governor of the state. All of a sudden, he is so concerned about them
and the welfare of the teachers.
”He recently announced that he was creating 2000 jobs, just four
weeks before he leaves office. The forms for the non-existent jobs,
only have space for the PVC numbers of the applicants and no column
for their Education qualifications or the kind of job available or
desired
”He has not and cannot do local government campaigns because he has
nothing to point out to, as his achievements in those areas.
”So, he has been harassing teachers and workers and cajoling them at
the same time. However, have good news for the workers and teachers,
that no matter what he says or does now, he is just deceiving them .
”It is good that a lot of them have decided to call his bluff and
vote according to their conscience for Dr. Kayode Fayemi on July 14. The incoming governor of the state has assured the workers or teachers, who are being harassed daily by Fayose that, he will reinstate anyone of them that is sacked or sanction because of their refusal to give in to his lies”. Adeyeye declared.
