Row over Ekiti N11b refund for roads

Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose and ex-Commissioner for Finance Mr. Dapo Kolawole have differed on a suit the latter filed to stop release of N11 billion spent on federal roads by the state.

Fayose described the suit, which Kolawole filed at a Federal High Court in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, as “reckless and retrogressive”.

The governor said it contradicted the progressive claim of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Fayose, who spoke during his monthly media chat, called: Meet Your Governor, on Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State (BSES), said the claim had been struck out.

But Kolawole said Fayose should stop peddling lies on the N11 billion, saying: “The governor should stop using the suit as an excuse to deny workers their salaries.”

The former commissioner, who served under former Governor Kayode Fayemi, accused Fayose of feeding the public with lies.

The suit, according to him, is still pending in court.

Fayose said: “I have not got the N11 billion refund. But I tell you, if I get it today, it will be used to offset salaries being owed workers.

“There is nothing progressive about the APC; they are in the real sense retrogressive.

“It is reckless for the former commissioner under Fayemi to take Ekiti State government to court, so that it would not be given the N11 billion refund.

“They are doing a great disservice to Ekiti people. But we thank God, the court has turned them down. The court in Abeokuta said it lacks jurisdiction over the matter.”

But Kolawole said: “My attention has been drawn to the statement credited to Governor Fayose during his Meet Your Governor interview on February 28, that the case of libel and slander I instituted at the Federal High Court against some principal officials of Ekiti State is denying them N11 billion refund on roads from the Federal Government and the ability to pay salaries to workers in the state has been dismissed.

“I wish to inform the public and people of Ekiti State that Governor Fayose was economic with the truth about the N11 billion refund during his Meet Your Governor interview.

“…the N11 billion refund is being challenged in court as a consequence of several misleading information on the indebtedness of Ekiti State by Governor Fayose against Dr. Fayemi since he came on board and more so as a result of the outcome of the recent judicial panel which, I believe, was the result of political victimisation.”