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Tag: Aluko

  • Aluko: Obanikoro put $5.37m in military trunk for Fayose

    Aluko: Obanikoro put $5.37m in military trunk for Fayose

    A former Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Dr. Tope Aluko, has told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of how a former Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, handed over $5.377m cash to Governor Ayo Fayose.

    He said the cash, which was put in a green military trunk by the ex-minister, was given to Fayose in the presence of nine PDP elders.

    He listed those who witnessed the collection by Fayose as a former Secretary to the State Government, a senator, two members of the House of Assembly, a former Director-General and others.

    Aluko, it was learnt, had one-and-a half hours hostile encounter with Obanikoro.

    Upon receiving the large suit case (box) and a key to open it, he said, Fayose and Obanikoro retired into an inner room of Spotless Hotel for a brief discussion.

    Aluko made the revelation during a grilling by the EFCC team against the backdrop of the ongoing probe of how the ex-minister shared the N4.745billion wired to a company linked to him by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

    The N4.685billon was transferred to Sylva McNamara Limited out of which N60million ($5.377m) cash was personally given to Fayose by the ex-minister.

    Obanikoro however told the EFCC team that he gave Fayose the cash in the presence of PDP elders including Dr. Tope Aluko.

    According to a source, Aluko told the detectives: “The ex-minister brought the $5.377million cash to Spotless Hotel for Fayose in a green military trunk. He was accompanied by four military men.

    “Obanikoro handed over the trunk and a key to Fayose in the presence of nine eminent PDP elders in the state.

    “Holding a piece of paper, Obanikoro later entered into an inner room in the hotel for a brief discussion with Fayose. Maybe the paper was for Fayose to acknowledge the receipt of the cash.

    “Upon coming out, Fayose opened the trunk with the key and we all saw it was filled with dollars. We had a list of how we wanted to use the money but we had not expended the Naira cash at hand.

    “Fayose, who asked me to call other PDP leaders, later took the trunk to his room at the hotel for safe keeping. That was the last we heard about the cash.”

    Another source in EFCC claimed that Aluko and Obanikoro had about “one-and-a half hours of unfriendly encounter” before interrogators.

    The source said: “Both Obanikoro and Aluko were brought to the interrogation room by EFCC detectives. They asked if Aluko had ever met the ex-minister, the ex-PDP Secretary in Ekiti State said: ‘Obanikoro was the liaison personnel between the Presidency and Fayose.

    “He confirmed that he had met with the ex-minister at a meeting in Abuja before the delivery of the money.

    “Aluko also admitted that he was present when Obanikoro brought the over $5.377m cash to Governor Ayo Fayose.”

    The EFCC had uncovered how Sylva McNamara, which was incorporated in November 2011, was used for the slush funds from ONSA.

  • Aluko & Oyebode, Templars shine at Nigerian Legal Awards

    Aluko & Oyebode, Templars Barristers and Solicitors, Jackson, Etti & Edu and other notable law firms have emerged winners at the 2016 ESQ Nigerian Legal Awards (NLA) held at the weekend in Lagos.

    Aluko & Oyebode displaced last year’s winner Templars to win the Law Firm of the Year award and also won the Telecommunications Team of the Year category.

    Mrs. Justina Lewa, General Counsel and Company Secretary, Sterling Bank Plc, won the General Counsel of the Year award.

    Publisher of Esq Legal Practice magazine and convener of the NLA, Lere Fashola, described the awards as having a history of “transparency, credibility and openness in celebrating excellence and professionalism in the Nigerian legal space”.

    He said: “A lot of effort is made yearly to ensure that the processes that produces winners for each category of the Nigerian legal awards is, without compromise, open, transparent and clear.

    “The Nigerian Legal Awards, besides the new initiatives of the Forty Under Forty, Regional Law Firm, and outstanding young professionals, continues to recognise the invaluable contribution of corporate counsel and lawyers in private practice to business growth.”

    Channels TV won in two categories including Shola Soyele’s Media Personality Award while ThisDay was the winner in the Print Media category.

    Templars retained its elite position by winning in four categories: Mergers and Acquisition, Energy and Power, Oil and Gas and Project Finance Team of the Year.

    Jackson, Etti & Edu won the Private Equity, Intellectual Property and Real Estate Team of the Year awards.

    Other winners in the law firm category were G. Elias as Banking and Finance Team of the Year, Banwo & Ighodalo as Capital Market Team of the Year, SPA Ajibade as Dispute Resolution Team of the Year, while Royal Heritage won the Labour and Employment Team of the Year.

    Yusuf Ali & Co (North Central) and Compos Mentis, (South South) were winners of the Regional Law Firm category.

    Winning legal Teams of the Year in the Corporate Counsel category include Zenith Bank for Banking and Finance, Axa-Mansard Insurance for Insurance, Nigerian Stock Exchange for Capital Market/Investment and Unilever Plc for Manufacturing.

  • Aluko returns from injury

    Aluko returns from injury

    Nigeria international, Sone Aluko has returned from injury ahead of Fulham’s Championship tie with Bristol City at Craven Cottage today.

    The winger was not utilised in his team’s 2-1 loss to Bristol City in the League Cup two days ago after failing to recover from an injury.

    “We lost Ryan Fredericks, we lost Floyd Ayité, and Tomas Kalas,” manager Jokanovic explained to fulhamfc.com.

    “They’re not going to be available for this week in front of us.

    “We won’t have the opportunity to use these three players. Sone Aluko is okay, and the other players are ready for the fight.”

    Without Aluko in the squad, the Cottagers failed to win their last two matches in all competitions.

    The number 24 has made seven starts in the English second-tier this term, and was on target against Preston North End on match day two.

  • How Fayose, Obanikoro clashed over arms cash, by Aluko

    How Fayose, Obanikoro clashed over arms cash, by Aluko

    EKITI State Governor Ayo Fayose and ex-Minister of State (Defence) Musiliu Obanikoro clashed over the huge cash deployed in the June 21, 2014, governorship poll, it was learnt yesterday.

    Former Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretary Dr. Temitope Aluko said this during a live interview programme on ADABA 88.9 FM.

    Aluko, who claimed Fayose did not have up to N10 million in his personal account before the 2014 elections, alleged that his primary election was sponsored by Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    The Ekiti poll fraud whistleblower said it was after Fayose won the Ekiti PDP primary that cash from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and oil contractors was used to fund the campaign for the election.

    Aluko explained during the interview that Fayose bought five houses with N2.3 billion, the remaining of the slush funds from ONSA, in Abuja, and on Banana Island and Victoria Island in Lagos.

    Speaking on the feud between Fayose and Obanikoro on the arms cash, Aluko said the two clashed when it was discovered that part of the funds brought to Akure for the Ekiti poll was short by N80 million.

    He said: “The Presidency gave us security and money; the money was sent from a Diamond Bank branch through an account run by Sylvan MacNamara, a company owned by Obanikoro.

    “My boss (Fayose) said he wanted to get his own in cash and that was why arrangement was made to get his own in cash and that was why such a huge amount (N2.1 billion) was ferried by plane. Obanikoro cannot claim not to have brought the money.

    “He (Fayose) chose his man, Abiodun Agbele, to keep the money in a bank account. The transaction was not recorded and it got to a stage when it was discovered that the money was short by N80 million.

    “This caused a crisis between Fayose and Obanikoro, who brought money three times from Abuja. He (Obanikoro) brought other things apart from money, which I won’t disclose now. It was from it that N1 billion was released to INEC officials to manipulate Ekiti and Osun polls.

    “Fayose was telling (former President Goodluck) Jonathan that he (Fayose) must deliver so that Jonathan will win in Southwest. The PDP elders were kept out of the picture about the transactions and cash and some of the cash deployed did not get to their destination.

    “The cash carried in the plane was not entered into the manifest, the N2.1 billion was delivered to a bank at 4.30 am in Ekiti. The N2.3 billion remaining from the cash received for the election was used to buy house in Abuja and the house belongs to Fayose.

    “Fayose bought five houses on Victoria Island and Banana Island. The property in Dubai was purchased by a fellow, who is known as Bisi in Ekiti but known as Femi abroad. Questions are being asked on the N3 billion used to buy the Dubai property, but I believe that we will recover our money.

    “No big money flowed into Fayose’s campaign until June, 2014. Money collected were either paid into the account of Spotless Investment or Fayose’s personal account.”

    On failure of the governor to pay civil servants, Aluko alleged that Fayose earns 40 per cent of the monthly allocation as entitlement.

    He said Fayose receives N250 million as security vote every month. This was increased from N150 million received by his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, apart from allowances received from the Government House and Protocol.

    The PDP stalwart doubts Fayose’s claim that the state generates N300 million monthly compared to N600 million monthly generated during the Fayemi administration.

    He said the fact that Fayose imposed many taxes on Ekiti people should shore up the revenue base.

    “IGR ought to be more than that. Fayose is now collecting money by from okada riders, banana sellers, shop owners and other petty traders. If you impose taxes not imposed by your predecessor, the IGR should rise.

    “I want the authorities to beam their searchlight on the IGR accounts run by Ekiti State government because Ekiti people are asking questions.

    “Fayose should shed from the hefty allowances he raised for himself to pay other people that are suffering  because this is someone who is making noise when his account was closed, what about other people being owed salaries for the last six months?

    “It is insulting for a governor to be saying he cannot sell his wife and children to pay salaries. It is absurd for somebody to have billions in his account and property all over to be telling the people to endure pains.

    “TSA is not in operation, state accounts not published, salary structure unknown, IGR unknown, what is spent on recurrent and capital expenditure unknown and the consultant is the same person operating as contractor,” Aluko said.

     

     

     

  • EFCC drops Diezani, Aluko from $1.6b charge

    EFCC drops Diezani, Aluko from $1.6b charge

    •Court grants N50m bail each to Omokore, others

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) made last minute adjustment to a $1.6 billion charge it filed against associates of former Petroleum Resources Minister Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

    The commission applied for the exclusion of the names of the former minister and a businessman, Kolawole Akanni Aluko, who were mentioned in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/121/2016.

    Mrs. Alison-Madueke (said to be at large) was named in Count 8 of the charge and accused of “abetting the commission of money laundering,” by those listed in the charge.

    Aluko (also said to be at large) was accused of engaging in conspiracy, money laundering and fraud.

    The EFCC decision to drop the former minister and Aluko from the charge was informed by the insistence of the trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako that it was impossible to proceed with the arrangement yesterday when the two co-defendants were not in court and had not been served with the charge.

    Although the prosecution counsel, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) argued that the arraignment was possible without the duo of Mrs. Alison-Madueke and Aluko, who were merely mentioned in the charge, but not as defendants, the judge insisted that both names must either be excluded or they be served with the charge and produced in court before arraignment could take place.

    After Jacobs applied for the exclusion of the ex-minister and Aluko from the charge, the judge directed that the charge be read to the defendants.

    Those arraigned were: businessman Jide Omokore, former Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited (NPDC), Victor Briggs, Abiye Membere, former Group Executive Director, Exploration and Production of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Abiye Membere, Manager, Planning and Commercial of the NNPC, David Mbanefo and two companies linked with Omokore  –  Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Limited.

    They were arraigned on a nine-count charge and accused of obtaining under false pretence and engaging in money laundering estimated at about $1,646,140,379.90.

    Omokore was alleged to have used the Strategic Alliance Agreement signed between the NPDC and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited to swindle the NPPC subsidiary and the Federal Government of billions of dollars through the lifting of crude oil from some oil wells between March 2013 and May 2014.

    The other accused persons who were senior management staff of the NNPC are accused of conspiracy in inducing the NPDC to facilitate the lifting of crude by Omokore, Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited.

    “They were also accused receiving car gifts from Omokore, Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited.

    They pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them.

    Following their plea of not guilty, Based on their plea, Jacobs, SAN, asked the court for a date for the commencement of trial.

    Following an application from the defence team, Justice Nyako granted bail to the defendants at N50million each with a surety.

    The judge said such surety must either be a director in the federal Civil Service or must have a landed property in the jurisdiction of the court.

    She adjourned to October 19 for the commencement of trial

    Part of the charge reads:

    *That you Olajide Jones Omokore, Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Ltd and Kolawole Akanni Aluko (now at large) between May and October 2013 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, by false pretence and with intent to defraud, induced the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Federal Government of Nigeria to deliver to you 5,652,227 barrels of crude oil (Brass blend) valued at the sum of US$616,013,615.27 (six hundred and sixteen million, thirteen thousand, six hundred and fifteen US dollars, twenty seven cents) through the medium of a contract (Strategic Alliance Agreement), which delivery was induced by false pretence to wit: the representation that you had technical competence, professional skills and funds (both local and foreign) necessary to support NPDC in petroleum operation for the OML 60, 61, 62 and 63 and you thereby committed an

  • Ekiti poll: Aluko floors Fayose as court quashes arrest warrant

    Ekiti poll: Aluko floors Fayose as court quashes arrest warrant

    An Ado Ekiti High Court has quashed a warrant of arrest issued against a former Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Dr. Temitope Aluko.

    The state government through the Office of the Attorney General on February 3,2016, secured the bench warrant seeking Aluko’s arrest at an Ado Ekiti Chief Magistrate’s Court presided over by Mr. Adesoji Adegboye.

    The state government had approached the Magistrate’s Court to compel the police to arrest Aluko for alleged perjury after claiming that the election which brought Governor Ayo Fayose to power was rigged.

    The Fayose administration averred that Aluko had committed perjury having earlier testified before the governorship election Tribunal that the election was free and fair.

    But the state High Court presided over by Justice John Adeyeye set aside the bench warrant issued by the Magistrate’s Court following the hearing of a motion ex-parte filed and sworn to by Fayose’s aide, Lere Olayinka.

    The case with Suit Number HAD/191M/2016 has Attorney General of Ekiti State as applicant while the Commissioner of Police is the respondent.

    The application was seeking an order of the court granting leave for the applicant to apply for the issuance of prerogative writ of mandamus to compel the respondent to discharge its statutory duty to arrest and investigate Aluko for alleged perjury and be made to face trial as a result of the investigation.

    But Justice Adeyeye, according to an Enrolment of Order obtained by our reporter on Friday nullified the bench warrant issued by the Chief Magistrate’s Court on ground that motion was not filed within three amounts allowed by law after Aluko had given evidence before the Tribunal.

    The certified copy of the Enrolment of Order was issued at the High Court Registry, Ado Ekiti bythe presiding Judge on Thursday, 5th of May, 2016.

    Justice Adeyeye ruled: “This application was brought pursuant to Order 40 of the High Court of Ekiti State Civil Procedure Rules.

    “Order 40 Rules (4) provides as follows: an application for judicial review shall be brought within three months of the date of occurrence of the subject of application.

    “Since Dr. Temitope Aluko was alleged to have committed the offence of perjury when he testified before the Election Petition Tribunal on 12/11/2014, the subject matter of the application is clearly a period of more than three months stipulated by Order 40 Rule (4).

    “The application having been brought outside the period stipulated by the Rules of this Court, in my humble view, is incompetent. It should be dismissed. I hereby dismiss it.”

  • ‘Aluko masterminded attempt to impeach Fayose’

    ‘Aluko masterminded attempt to impeach Fayose’

    Former factional Speaker of  the Ekiti State House of Assembly Dele Olugbemi has accused the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretary, Dr. Tope Aluko, of masterminding the attempts by the 19 former All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers to remove Governor Ayo Fayose.

    He insisted that Aluko was at a reconciliation meeting with Fayose in a Lagos hotel, which was facilitated by him (Olugbemi).

    Olugbemi, in an interview on Saturday on EKITI 91.5 FM, alleged that the ex-PDP secretary had been on the payroll of the APC for more than one year and was working to destabilise the PDP.

    The former factional Speaker, now a Commissioner in the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), claimed that Aluko took him to Lagos and Osun states during his tenure in the Assembly to lure him (Olugbemi) into an impeachment plot against Fayose.

    Olugbemi added a comical dimension to the interview when he challenged Aluko to present himself for “traditional swearing” to know who is telling the truth between the two of them.

    He said: ”When I was the Speaker, TKO (Aluko) was the PDP secretary. I have never seen a traitor like him in my life.

    “He was the one who initiated and facilitated an arrangement with the APC towards using the House to impeach Fayose. He took me to Osun and Lagos for the arrangement.

    “I refused to do this and that strained our relationship. But we resumed our relationship shortly after the end of my tenure as Speaker.

    “When I discovered that he was always scheming against the governor and conniving with enemies to impeach him after about one and half year into this government, I decided to call him and advise him.

    “I told him that in politics there cannot be permanent enemies but permanent interests. I told him joining another party would not help, that as for me, I prefer to stay in PDP.

    “I am so surprised that he could denounce and rubbish a peace meeting I brokered between him and the governor.

    “The CCTV camera has the details of all that we discussed with the governor inside the Eko Hotel.

    “Aluko remains our lost sheep. We will welcome him home anytime. He has worked for our party and deserves his reward but he has to stop this bad attitude of his and show genuine repentance. Fayose is the father of all of us and he has a large heart to accommodate all. “

  • Aluko: Fayose’s electoral victory a coup

    Aluko: Fayose’s electoral victory a coup

    The former Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Dr. Tope Aluko, has described the governorship election victory secured by Governor Ayo Fayose as “a coup against the people”.

    He revealed that 11 PDP chieftains were caught with sensitive electoral materials by Department of State Services (DSS) operatives   in a hotel owned by Fayose’s Chief of Staff, Dipo Anisulowo, but were released three hours later.

    Speaking on a special interview programme on ADABA 88.9 FM, which was monitored by our reporter in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday, Aluko said that was what made Fayose boast that he would defeat former Governor Kayode Fayemi in  the 16 local governments.

    In the interview his second on the radio station in three days, the PDP chieftain alleged that Fayose told former President Goodluck Jonathan at a PDP strategy meeting at the Aso Rock Villa that the only way Fayemi, who was believed to have performed well in office, could be removed was to use force.

    The erstwhile Ekiti PDP scribe said that was why “the might of the Commander-in-Chief” was deployed to intimidate the opposition on election day and give Fayose victory by all means.

    Aluko said: “The election that brought the governor  to power was like a coup. It was a coup against the people  and that is why he is behaving the way he is doing now.

    “At the strategy meeting held with former President Jonathan, we admitted that it will be difficult to remove Fayemi from power because of his performance.

    “Fayose told Jonathan that unless we use force and other foul means, there wouldn’t be a change of government in Ekiti and that was why Jonathan granted him the request.

    “That was why he allowed the then Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, former Minister of Police Affairs Jelili Adesiyan to be with Fayose and ensure that victory was made possible at all cost.

    “Our game plan was to harass, arrest and detain principal opposition figures, including aggrieved PDP members, who participated in the governorship primary with Fayose. I am talking of people like (Caleb) Olubolade and others.

    “Our game plan was to move against them and take them out by arresting and detaining them.

    “Eleven of us were arrested in the hotel where we perfected the rigging.”

    The PDP chief accused the Fayose administration of sustaining propaganda against him.

    Aluko added that the governor and his lackeys have failed to controvert all his evidence-oral, documentary and electronic.

    He said: “I was invited by the EFCC, DSS and the police and my statements are with them,

    “I authenticated the documents and any attempt on my life cannot remove my message which is with all these agencies.

    “That is why they are attacking the messenger but they cannot attack the message.

    “My evidence with the security agencies are too weighty to be overlooked.“

    The former don claimed to have sworn an oath with Fayose on what he called “a pact for Ekiti development”, which he alleged the governor did not honour.

  • Aluko: how we perfected rigging inside hotel

    Aluko: how we perfected rigging inside hotel

    Fresh facts have emerged on how the June 21, 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State was allegedly manipulated in favour of Governor Ayo Fayose.

    The embattled former State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Tope Aluko, has revealed how the rigging was perfected inside a hotel barely a week before the poll.

    He said sensitive materials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), such as ballot papers and result sheets, were delivered to PDP chieftains to allow for the manipulation of the poll long before the first ballot was cast.

    Speaking on a special interview programme on Wednesday on ADABA 88. 9 FM monitored by our reporter, Aluko claimed that the electoral materials were delivered through Akure Airport and taken to a hotel owned by Fayose’s Chief of Staff Dipo Anisulowo in Are-Ekiti, where the alleged manipulation was carried out.

    He said ballot papers were thumb-printed and result sheets filled by PDP members, which gave the party “undue advantage”.

    Aluko explained that Department of State Services (DSS) operatives, led by a woman officer, stormed Anisulowo’s hotel and arrested the PDP henchmen but they were released within three hours because “you know we (PDP) were in government at that time”.

    The whistleblower said a lorry conveying some of the electoral materials was intercepted by soldiers led by the recently retired Brig.-Gen. Aliyu Momoh.

     “But the materials were later released after the officers received ‘order from above’.”

    According to him, the Fayose administration received the refund of the N5.2 billion spent on Ado-Ifaki highway by the Kayode Fayemi administration.

     He said the governor initially denied but it was confirmed by former President Goodluck Jonathan during the PDP presidential campaign rally.

    The PDP chief alleged that the money was diverted to the Ado-Ekiti  flyover, following the outcry generated.

    Aluko said: “Ask him (Fayose) why did (former Works Commissioner) Kayode Oso flee?

    “Finance Commissioner  Toyin Ojo told DSS interrogators about the state’s finances, including the N5.2 billion refunded on theAdo-Ifaki Road carried out by Fayemi.

    “You will recall that the governor denied receiving  the refund but Ojo’s revelation made him (Fayose)  divert  the money for the flyover.”

    Responding to questions on the prosecution threat by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Owoseni Ajayi, the PDP chieftain said Ajayi is also liable for prosecution for his alleged role in an attack on the court.

    Aluko said: “I pity Owoseni Ajayi who is saying that I should be prosecuted because he (Ajayi) was the one who  ‘disrupted’ the delivery of a ruling by Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi.

    “Owoseni told Fayose on phone that should the judge deliver the ruling on the perjury case, it would go against him and his planned swearing-in would be in jeopardy.”

    Speaking on the purported reconciliation meeting with Fayose in a Lagos hotel, Aluko said he never went to meet Fayose as believed in some quarters.

    His words: “It was the governor and former Ekiti Assembly factional Speaker Dele Olugbemi who barged into a meeting I was holding with some PDP leaders.

    “Olugbemi and Fayose barged into the meeting venue. Olugbemi is a liar. He had lied against Fayose.

    “He lied against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and  the PDP.

    “He is working for the money and appointment he  just received from Fayose.

    “I did not create a scene at the venue because hefty men were stationed around and my wife was afraid of what could happen.

    “The governor held my clothes that I should not talk when I wanted to talk.

    “I feared for my wife who later disappeared from the scene and I did not know her whereabouts.

    “They almost attacked me when I went to Channels Television  but it was policemen led by the CP who saved me after being holed up there for about three hours.

    “I played safe because of my wife and to avoid the scenario that played out when I went to Channels Television to grant my first interview.”

    Aluko contended that his disagreement with the governor started with his (Fayose’s) alleged derailment from the plan for the development of Ekiti State and not because he was not made Chief of Staff.

    He said: “I am not doing this because I was denied appointment. I discovered that this man has no plans for Ekiti and I went to him that Oga, it’s almost a year in office now and we have not done anything for the people.

    “Fayose replied me by saying ‘don’t worry, Ekiti people are easy to deceive because by the time you buy them ponmo (cow skin) and booli (roasted plantain), you have stolen their hearts’.

    “It was there that our crisis started. The issue of Chief of Staff was secondary.

    “Fayose derailed from our blueprint for the development of Ekiti. He cancelled the monthly allowances for the aged.

     “He imposed taxes on primary school pupils, among his other anti-people policies but when I reminded him, he told me that Ekiti people are gullible.

    “I need the prayer of Nigerians so that I will not fall prey to the evil machinations of those planning to kill me by all means because of the truth I told Nigerians.”

  • Aluko and theatrics of absurdity

    SIR: Sometimes I wonder how a man with PhD could descend the pyramid of honour to such basement as Dr Aluko presently exemplified.

    Even as a political jobber scavenging for political crumbs, there are threshold of nobility a man with family must not assail for the sake of his wife and children.

    The PDP former state secretary’s positions have been subject to several incoherent recantations creating a silhouette of a man bereft of cachet.

    Again if Aluko is Fayose’s political son as the two have jointly admitted, then it only validates the old saying “like father like son”.

    Aluko’s debacle is a reflection of Fayose’s paternity of irresponsible political denouement in Ekiti leaving in its wake Ekiti-gate, judicial rascality, legislative escapism and the imposition of Okada-concatenated hegemony.

    It leaves a sane mind in stitches how the so called “the people” being sloganized by Fayose would be so enamoured to mediocrity forgetting their heritage of scholarship and civility.

    One thing is clear: Fayose and his son Aluko are dragging Ekiti in the mud and the earlier Ekiti elders and traditional rulers repudiate instant gratification and the patrimony of stomach infrastructure and rein in the governor the better for Ekiti.

    As we speak, Ekiti State is not able to pay five months salaries of civil servants, the N5,000 social benefits legacy left by Kayode Fayemi for the elderly people have been suspended calling to question the supervening value of Fayose’s governorship beyond garrulous insubordination.

     

    • Bukola Ajisola,

    Victoria Island, Lagos