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  • Ekiti 2018: Workers accuse Fayose, Peace Corps of illegal data capturing

    •It’s not true says govt. as Fayemi warns against illegal collection of voters’ cards

    The Enlightened Workers Forum (EWF), an interest group in the Ekiti State civil service, has raised an alarm over an alleged plot by Governor Ayodele Fayose to rig the July 14 governorship election, in favour of his party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola Eleka.

    The group, in a press statement made available to The Nation on Friday, said it has uncovered a voters’ card data capturing process at the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN), Ekiti State Command Headquarters, in Oke Ila area of Ado-Ekiti, and Fajuyi mini pavilion.

    The EWF in a statement by its Coordinator, Mike Bamidele, maintained that the Ekiti Command of the PCN was acting on an agreement it had with Fayose to collate, according to the Wards, Polling Units, the VIN and serial numbers on the voter’s cards belonging to members of the Corps.

    The group said the alleged action was aimed at cloning the cards and doubling the votes counted during the governorship election, for the PDP candidate to emerge victorious at the poll.

    It claimed, that, Fayose had also requested for the bank details of the PCN members who have already submitted their PVCs for purported data capturing, with a promise to give each PCN member, N10,000 a day to the election, through bank alert.

    “We advise the Ekiti State Command of the Peace Corps of Nigeria to steer clear of Fayose’s political antics ahead of July 14 governorship poll and not be party to any activity that could denigrate the good public image of the organisation,” the group saidDenying the alleged rigging plot, the Commissioner for Information, Lanre Ogunsuyi, described the allegation as a figment of the group’s imagination.

    Ogunsuyi said: “This is a figment of their imagination, all parties are busy mobilizing and training their supporters, party agents and enlightening the electorate ahead of the election.

    “No worker has submitted his card for any pecuniary gain and no cloning of cards is going on as alleged.”

    Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Kayode Fayemi, has warned Governor Fayose against illegal collection of workers’ voters cards through coercion, saying “voters have inalienable right to vote for candidate of their choice.”

    A statement by Director, Media and Publicity of the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, Wole Olujobi, urged Fayose to stop alleged criminal and unauthorised  collection of teachers and workers’ PVC numbers.

    Fayemi said workers should be allowed to cast their votes for their preferred candidates in the coming election without any fear of intimidation by the government or its officials.

     

  • Ekiti 2018: Workers accuse Fayose of illegal data capturing

    The Enlightened Workers Forum (EWF), an interest group in the Ekiti State work force, has raised an alarm over an alleged plot by Governor Ayodele Fayose to rig the July 14 governorship election in favour of his party, PDP candidate Prof Kolapo Olusola Eleka.

    The group in a press statement made available to The Nation on Friday, said it has uncovered the voter’s card data capturing going on at the Peace Corps of Nigeria, Ekiti State Command Headquarters in Oke Ila area of Ado-Ekiti and Fajuyi mini pavilion.

    The EWF in a statement by its Coordinator, Mike Bamidele, maintained that the Ekiti Command of the PCN was acting on an agreement had with
    Fayose to collate, according to the Wards, Polling Units, the VIN and serial numbers on the voter’s cards belonging to members of the Corps.

    Denying the alleged rigging plot, the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi, described the allegation as a figment of imagination of the group.

    Ogunsuyi said: “This is a figment of their imagination, all parties are busy mobilizing and training their supporters, party agents and enlightening the electorate ahead of the election.

    “No worker has submitted his card for any pecuniary gain and no cloning of cards is going on as alleged. What is going on are political parties, PCN members are free to join any political meeting of their choice.”

    The EWF said the alleged action was aimed at cloning the cards and double the vote count during the governorship election for the PDP candidate to emerge victorious at the poll.

    It claimed that Fayose had also requested for the bank details of the PCN members that have already submitted their PVCs for the purported data capturing with a promise to give each PCN members N10,000 a day to the election through bank alert.

    The group said: “Fayose, in his desperate moves to coerce the PCN Ekiti State Command into his devilish political tricks as the next month governorship election draws near had given the non-governmental security outfit State Employment Forms and promised to enlist their members into the State Public Service and also mobilize them as a secret security personnel to perpetrate rigging in the next month governorship election.

    “We advise the Ekiti State Command of the Peace Corps of Nigeria to steer clear of Fayose’s political antics ahead of July 14 governorship poll and not be party to any activity that could denigrate the good public image of the organisation.”

    Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has warned Fayose against illegal collection of workers’ voter cards through coercion, saying “voters have inalienable right to vote for candidate of their choice.”

    An official circular was sighted in which Fayose ordered school principals and some interest groups among teachers to collect the names, bank accounts and voter cards details of teachers in public schools for profiling.

    A statement by Director, Media and Publicity of the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, Wole Olujobi, urged Fayose to stop alleged criminal and unauthorised collection of teachers and workers’ PVC numbers.

    Fayemi said workers should be allowed to cast their votes for their preferred candidates in the coming election without any fear of intimidation by the government or its officials.

    He added that compelling workers and teachers to submit their PVC numbers as a condition for salary and running grants payment or promotion amounted to undue intimidation and crude blackmail.

    Read Also: Ekiti 2018: Oni, Others Working For Fayemi’s Victory, says Bamidele

    Fayemi made these declarations while speaking with reporters in his Isan-Ekiti country home in Oye Local Government, the last town he visited in his three-week campaign tours of the 132 towns and villages in the 16 local government areas of the state.

    The APC candidate promised to provide visionary leadership through his Eight-point Agenda to redirect the state to the path of growth and development after four years of rudderless leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    He lamented that Fayose shut down the School of Agriculture Technology in Isan Ekiti and took away all the tractors and other modern farming tools in the school “at a time many other states are breaking new
    grounds in agriculture development and food sufficiency”.

    Fayemi explained that the College of Agriculture was designed to assist in training manpower in the agriculture sector that would in turn boost agricultural production in the state.

    He also lamented that Fayose “out of ignorance” stopped the Youth in Commercial Agricultural Development (YCAD) scheme by his administration, saying that all the poor decisions by Fayose’s administration had drastically affected agricultural production in the state.

    Fayemi promised to re-open the College of Agriculture and revitalise YCAD scheme, including other social security and empowerment schemes initiated by his last administration.

    He also said that the state government under his watch would build one cottage industry in each of the local government areas to provide
    employment for the teeming youth.

  • Voting apc is invitation to chaos, says Fayose

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has warned the people of the state against voting for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the July 14 governorship election.

    Fayose said that voting for APC is an invitation to chaos, killing and raping of women by killer herdsmen which he said the party represents.

    He urged Ekiti people to learn from daily killings by herdsmen in All Progressives Congress-controlled states of Benue, Plateau, Zamfara, Kaduna and Nasarawa.

    Fayose therefore charged the people of the state to vote Prof Kolapo Olusola of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the next governor of the state.

    Speaking during a meeting with teachers, civil servants and local government workers in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, Fayose called on the people to reject APC and its candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to prevent Ekiti from becoming killing fields.

    The governor said since the killings started, the Federal Government had not been able to stop it and the governors who belong to the APC were being careful not to offend the Presidency.

    Fayose said: “We all can see how the herdsmen have continued to daily kill, maim and rape innocent citizens. Even toddlers are not spared.

    “In Zamfara State for instance, Governor Abdulaziz Yari, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, recently said he was resigning as the Chief Security Officer of his state.

    “The truth is that the governors know what to do but cannot do it because they don’t want to offend the Presidency.

    “In Benue, burial of people killed by the herdsmen has become a daily occurrence. Many communities have been deserted and people now live in IDP camps and the governor has resigned to fate because it is an APC state.

    “When the killer herdsmen invaded the farm of Chief Olu Falae, setting it ablaze, the governor couldn’t do anything because he did not want to offend the Presidency that helped him to power.

    “In Kaduna, another APC state, the killer herdsmen and bandits are slaughtering the people like fowl and the government cannot stop it.

    “This is for you to know that there is no APC controlled state where the herdsmen have not become terror to the people.”

    Fayose asked: “Is this kind of situation you want in Ekiti? Of course, the answer is No. In am very sure people can now see the difference between the PDP government and the APC.

    “The PDP was in power for 16 years and the security never became moribund as it is now under the Buhari administration. The government is now noted for condemning but cannot stop the killings. Only insensitive people will vote APC.”

     

     

     

  • Three INEC officials colluding with Fayose to rig poll, says Fayemi Campaign

    The Kayode Fayemi Campaign Council has accused three officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of colluding with Governor Ayo Fayose to rig the July 14 governorship election.

    The three INEC officials fingered in the alleged rigging plot are Egharevba John, Festus Aisien, Igidiogu Kelechi and a former official of the agency, Ishaku Abbo.

    Addressing a news conference on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti, the Deputy Director General (Ekiti South) of the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Council, Mr. Bamidele Faparusi, alleged that INEC headquarters and security agencies have been informed on the development.

    The campaign body claimed that while Egharevba, Aisien and Igidiogu came from INEC headquarters in Abuja to carry out the act, Ishaku had been residing in the Government House for about six months working in cahoots with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government to rig the poll.

    Faparusi alleged that sensitive materials like stamps, permanent voter cards, Form EC8A and accreditation forms have been produced in the Ado-Ekiti Government House with the help of the INEC officials.

    The officials, he said, worked in  Administration, Stores and Distribution and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Departments at INEC headquarters.

    The campaign chief expressed dismay while the officials had made Government House their abode without holding any meeting with other political parties involved in the forthcoming governorship poll.

    Faparusi said: “We have it on good authority that Governor Ayodele Fayose in cahoots with some corrupt top officials of INEC in the state are busy attempting to compromise the electoral process in favour of PDP.

    “We have it on good authority that an election expert, one Ishaku, a former INEC official, has been living with the governor in the Government House since January this year.

    “After these illegal activities in the Government House, there was a secret meeting held with three top officials of INEC from the national headquarters in the Government House.

    “Curiously, these three top officials hold strategic positions in election management. One is from the Admin, one is from Stores and Distribution Dept while the other is ICT top official.

    “For the reasons best known to them, only the Government House was their exclusive port of call; APC was never in the picture.

    “We have it on good authority that an election expert, one Ishaku, a former INEC official, has been living with the governor in the Government House since January this year.

    “After these illegal activities in the Government House, there was a secret meeting held with three top officials of INEC from the national headquarters in the Government House.

    “Curiously, these three top officials hold strategic positions in election management. One is from the Admin, one is from Stores and Distribution Dept while the other is ICT top official.

    “For the reasons best known to them, only the Government House was their exclusive port of call; APC was never in the picture.

    “After this evil agenda, Fayose stormed the media to raise allegations that the APC was in Ondo State Government House to manipulate the ballot to give APC an edge in the July 14 election.

    “Documents already produced include stamps, PVCs, Result sheets (Form EC8A) and INEC accreditation forms. We are calling on INEC headquarters to note these atrocities being perpetrated by its corrupt officials to tarnish the image of the electoral body.

    “You will recall Fayose’s illegal activities in the 2014 election as contained in Captain Koli tape. We don’t want a repeat of that experience.”

    But the campaign organisation of the PDP governorship candidate, Prof Kolapo Olusola, described the allegations by the APC candidate as a function of “a frustrated desperate politician that is already smelling electoral defeat”.

    Director of Media and Publicity of the Campaign Organisation,  Lere Olayinka, said it was clear that Fayemi was raising alarm to cover up his plans to manipulate himself to power.

    Olayinka,  who maintained that the PDP position is that the July 14 election must be free, fair and transparent, added:  “Those banking on ‘federal might’ to foist themselves on Ekiti people are the ones now crying just to divert attention.

    “We have been preparing for this election since 2016 and Ishaku Abbo was engaged as a consultant since then.

    “Whereas,  Fayemi is just running around trying to market a battered image to the same Ekiti people that he maltreated when he was governor and did nothing when he was Minister.

    “Our question is; did we prevent Fayemi and his ilk from also engaging a consultant? Are we the ones who made them to rely solely on federal might instead of the might of God and the people of Ekiti?

    “If they are now being faced with the reality of a failed believe in federal might, shouldn’t they just accept defeat instead of this childish attempt to create a excuse for their impending electoral failure?

    “As for us in the PDP,  with the support of God and Ekiti people that we enjoy,  we are sure of wining the election in a free and fair atmosphere and we are hopeful that INEC will prove Nigerians wrong by conducting a free,  fair and credible election in Ekiti.”

  • Fayose says APC’s federal might will fail

    Governor Ayo Fayose has urged the people to vote for continuity.

    He spoke at the 23rd convocation of Ekiti State University (EKSU).  Fayose who is the visitor to the university, said he had given Ekiti a scholar as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Prof. Kolapo Olusola.

    The governor vowed to defeat the federal might enjoyed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the July 14 governorship election.

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who was honoured with a doctorate degree, was among the personalities who attended the convocation.

    Fayose’s wife, Feyisetan and Olusola’s wife, Janet, both graduated with master’s degrees in Guidance and Counselling at the convocation.

    He described Olusola as a “level-headed, humble man, a pastor and man of God” needed by Ekiti at this critical point of its history.

    Fayose credited Olusola with what he called the giant strides recorded by the state in the field of education especially coming tops back-to-back in the National Examinations Council (NECO) among the 36 states of the federation.

    Fayose said there was need for continuity of policies and projects being carried out by his administration, saying voting otherwise would disrupt goodies enjoyed by the people.

    He said: “A system that is not sustained, the people that suppose to benefit will suffer. This state should not suffer.

    “I commit to your hand, a professor who has contributed to the educational development of this state. Let us support continuity.

    “People will always remember that it was Fayose that constructed the first dual carriageway in Ado-Ekiti, people will always remember that it was Fayose that constructed the first flyover in this state.

    “It was during my time that Ekiti left Number 35 position in WAEC and NECO and we came first back-to-back in NECO. We did all these within the limited resources available to us.

    The governor said he was not intimidated by the federal might wielded by the opposition APC saying he has the people’s might behind him.

    Fayose added: “When they (APC) are saying federal might, we will show them people’s might, we have the people behind us. Power is with God and God is with me.”

    Fayose ‘anointed’ Olusola’s wife as the “incoming first lady,” saying  she will attend the next convocation in that capacity.

  • Fayemi faults Fayose’s claim on Paris Club refund

    The Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation has debunked claims by Governor Ayodele Fayose that the Federal Government is deliberately delaying disbursement of Paris Club cash to states of the federation to hurt Ekiti State’s bid to pay workers salary.

    Fayose had said the alleged move by the federal government was to incapacitate Ekiti State from paying workers salary to enable the All Progressives Congress (APC) use non-payment of salary as a campaign tool against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Prof. Olusola Eleka, in the July 14 governorship election.

    A statement by Fayose’s media aide also alleged that Dr. Kayode Fayemi’s administration plunged the state into debt, including leaving two months’ salaries unpaid and that N35.34b was being deducted every month from Ekiti allocations to service the debt.

    He argued that if the governor had N35.34billion, he would not owe workers.

    But a statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity for the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, Wole Olujobi, faulted the claims, saying Fayose was using cheap blackmail to get undeserved public sympathy and support ahead of the July 14 poll.

    Olujobi said  Ekiti total debts while Fayemi was leaving office, according to DMO, was N18billion.

    He added that contrary to claim that Fayemi owed two- month salary, the administration owed just one month salary mainly because Fayose threatened banks not to grant Fayemi a standing facility to pay salary ahead of Abuja allocation.

    He said: “This is a cheap blackmail and characteristic propaganda by Fayose who has taken Ekiti people for fools as he often derides them among his friends. How can one claim that N35.34b is being spent to service a debt of N18b?

    “How can the Federal Government cripple all the states because of the election in Ekiti State as if President Muhammadu Buhari’s government is like President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration that paid Ecological Fund cash to PDP’s states but refused to pay APC states?

    “How did Fayose spend the Paris Club refunds he earlier collected to pay salary but refused to pay workers?

    “Fayose collected a bailout of about N20b in two tranches for workers’ salary but diverted all to self-serving projects having earlier taken N2b CBN small-scale business credit scheme but never release one kobo to any small-scale business owner.”

     

  • Fayose will be caged on election day, says Fayemi

    •Apc will restore good governance

    All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has assured the people of Ekiti State of adequate security on July 14, when they go to polls to elect a new governor.

    Fayemi urged eligible voters to come out and exercise their civic rights and not to be intimidated by Governor Ayo Fayose’s alleged threats to cause mayhem on election day.

    The APC flag bearer declared that the incumbent governor will be caged on the day of election as he (Fayose) will only be allowed to vote and go back to his house in Afao.

    He said: “We will ensure adequate security for voters on election day because if you are not well protected, the election will not be free, far, credible, transparent, genuine and acceptable.

    “Fayose cannot threaten or intimidate anybody on the day of election.

    “Fayose will only be allowed to cast his vote and he will go back to his house in Afao.”

    Fayemi who spoke yesterday during a campaign tour to communities in Ido/Osi Local Government Area, said he was on a mission to rescue Ekiti people from poverty, misery and bad governance.

    He promised to put the state on the path of good governance, progress and development.

    Communities visited by Fayemi include Ifaki, Orin, Ora, Aaye, Ifisin, Igbole, Osi, Ido, Ilogbo, Usi and Ayetoro where more Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders and members defected to the APC.

    Fayemi was joined at the rallies by the deputy governorship candidate Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, Ekiti APC Chairman Chief Olajide Awe, former Minister of State for Works Prince Dayo Adeyeye, former House of Assembly Speaker Dr. Adewale Omirin, former House of Assembly member Mrs. Bunmi Oriniowo and a senatorial aspirant Dr. Olusegun Osinkolu.

    The APC flag bearer said Fayose, the PDP and the candidate Prof. Kolapo Olusola have nothing to showcase in those communities in the last three-and-half years, noting that the projects being enjoyed by the people were the ones executed by Fayemi.

    Fayemi said projects like civic centres, health centres, five kilometer community roads, school and hospital renovations are flagship projects that would swing votes in APC’s favour.

    He promised that all the human capital development policies like payment of monthly stipends to the aged, free health services, free education, payment of WAEC, NECO, NABTEB and JAMB fees for pupils in public schools would return when the APC government takes over.

    Fayemi promised more Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) assisted projects, employment through Peace Corps, Ekiti Traffic Management Agency (EKSTMA), return of core subject allowances and Rural Teachers’ Allowances, regular payment of workers’ salaries and pensioners’ benefits.

    According to him, a special health intervention programme for Obas and chiefs tagged “Ilera Laafin,” Local Council Development Areas, Volunteer Corps scheme, among others would return.

    He debunked the PDP’s allegation that he would sack teachers and civil servants, noting that workers enjoyed salary increase three times during his first tenure.

    Fayemi lampooned Fayose for owing core civil servants, local government workers and teachers between five and nine months salaries expressing regret that no worker had collected salaries meant for this year.

    He said it was an act of irresponsibility and insincerity for the governor to be calling himself a friend of civil servants and teachers and still be owing them arrears of salaries despite getting financial reliefs from the Federal Government.

    The former Minister of Mines and Steel Development declared that the

    PDP would meet its waterloo on election day as Ekiti people who had allegedly been deceived would show the umbrella party the way out of the Government House.

    He urged party members and voters to go back to their units and work, noting that election is not won on the social media but at the polling units.

    Fayemi added: “Let’s deal with PDP with our votes, we are going to give them a bloodied nose with our votes on July 14 because Fayemi of today is different from that of yesterday.

    “If the PDP people come here, they have nothing to campaign with and that is why they are resorting to lies, but they have exhausted their lies.

    “Go to your units, vote and protect your votes. Election is not done on Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp, the votes are at the polling units.

    “APC will give a better life to our people, we have done it before and with your support, we will do it again because our legacies are all around the state for everybody to see.”

  • Fayose will be caged on election day – Fayemi

    All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has assured the people of Ekiti State of adequate security on July 14 when they will go to polls to elect a new governor.

    Fayemi urged eligible voters to come out and exercise their civic rights and not to be intimidated by Governor Ayo Fayose’s alleged threats to cause mayhem on election day.

    The APC flag bearer declared that the incumbent governor will be caged on the day of election as he (Fayose) will only be allowed to vote and go back to his house in Afao.

    He said: “We will ensure adequate security for voters on election day because if you are not well protected, the election will not be free, far, credible, transparent, genuine and acceptable.

    “Fayose cannot threaten or intimidate anybody on the day of election. Fayose will only be allowed to cast his vote and he will go back to his house in Afao.”

    Fayemi who spoke on Thursday while on campaign tour to communities in Ido/Osi Local Government Area said he was on a mission to rescue Ekiti people from poverty, misery, bad governance and put the state on the path of good governance, progress and development.

    Communities visited by Fayemi include Ifaki, Orin, Ora, Aaye, Ifisin, Igbole, Osi, Ido, Ilogbo, Usi and Ayetoro where more People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leaders and members defected to the APC.

    Fayemi was joined at the rallies by the deputy governorship rally, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi; Ekiti APC Chairman, Chief Olajide Awe; former Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye; former House of Assembly Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin; former House of Assembly member, Mrs. Bunmi Oriniowo and a senatorial aspirant, Dr. Olusegun Osinkolu.

    He described the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State as a vote for freedom.

    The APC flag bearer said Fayose, his party, PDP, and the candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, have nothing to showcase in those communities in the last three-and-half years noting that the projects being enjoyed by the people were the ones he (Fayemi) executed in his first tenure.

    Fayemi said projects like civic centres, health centres, five kilometer community roads, school and hospital renovations are flagship projects that will swing votes in APC’s favour.

    He promised that all the human capital development policies like payment of monthly stipends to the aged, free health services, free education, payment of WAEC, NECO, NABTEB and JAMB fees for pupils in public schools will return the movement an APC government takes over
    in October.

    Fayemi also promised more Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) assisted projects, employment through Peace Corps, Ekiti Traffic Management Agency (EKSTMA), return of Core Subject Allowances and Rural Teachers’ Allowances, regular payment of workers’ salaries and pensioners’ benefits.

    According to him, a special health intervention programme for Obas and chiefs tagged “Ilera Laafin,” Local Council Development Areas, Volunteer Corps scheme, among others will return.

    He also debunked the PDP allegation that he would sack teachers and civil servants noting that workers enjoyed salary increase three times during his first tenure.

    Fayemi lampooned Fayose for owing core civil servants, local government workers and teachers between five and nine months salaries expressing regret that no worker had collected salaries meant for this year (2018).

    He said it was an act of irresponsibility and insincerity for the governor to be calling himself a friend of civil servants and teachers and still be owing them arrears of salaries despite getting financialreliefs from the Federal Government.

    The former Minister of Mines and Steel Development declared that the PDP will meet its waterloo on election day as Ekiti people who had allegedly been deceived will show the umbrella party the way out of the Government House.

    He urged party members and voters to go back to their units and work noting that election is not won on the social media but at the polling units.

    Fayemi added: “Let’s deal with them (PDP) with our votes, we are going to give them a bloodied nose with our votes on July 14 because Fayemi of today is different from that of yesterday.

    “If the PDP people come here, they have nothing to campaign with and that is why they are resorting to lies but they have exhausted their lies.

    “Go to your units, vote and protect your votes. Election is not done on Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp, the votes are at the polling units.

    “APC will give a better life to our people, we have done it before and with your support, we will do it again because our legacies are all around the state for everybody to see.”

    In almost all the communities visited, hundreds of PDP top members defected to APC citing greed, selfishness and undemocratic conduct of the governor.

    At Igbole, Isaac Idowu led the entire Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement (PAAM) structure to defect to APC. An appreciative old woman led scores of women to thank Fayemi for providing them succour through payment of monthly social security stipend to stay alive.

    At Ifaki, country home of former Governor Segun Oni, who joined Fayemi on campaign trail, the APC’s standard bearer thanked Ifaki people for their unflinching support and pledged that he would ensure the development of the town and welfare of its people.

    Mammoth crowds attended rally at Ido-Ekiti where Cyril Fasuyi popularly called the “GOC of Ido/Osi Politics, led who is who in Ido politics to defect to APC.

    He described Fayose as a “selfish politician who fraudulently schemed him out of the House of Representatives contest in 2014,” vowing that the governor would pay for his undemocratic and callous conduct to members of his party who worked for his success at poll but “paid them back with evil”.

    Fasuyi assured that 27,000 votes in Ido would be delivered to APC and vowed to take Fayose to court for taking Ido Osi allocations and misappropriated them for selfish motives.

    All local government and ward executive members defected to APC, with the promise to deliver all the votes in Ido for APC.

     

  • Ekiti: APC should be ready to accept defeat – Atiku

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Monday advised the All Progressives Congress (APC) to be ready to accept defeat in the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State.

    Atiku said the APC should emulate the democratic gesture of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which accepted defeat in the 2015 general election.

    The former Vice President spoke when he led members of the PDP Governorship Campaign Council on a visit to Governor Ayo Fayose at Government House, Ayoba Villa, Ado Ekiti.

    Other PDP bigwigs on the trip to the governor’s office were Deputy President of the Senate, Ike

    Ekweremadu, former Senate President, David Mark, former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, his Ogun State counterpart, Gbenga Daniel and Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe.

    Atiku expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness for the governorship poll by the PDP and expressed confidence that the party would win the election.

    He said: “We are satisfied that the PDP is prepared for this election. We hope that the APC will accept the outcome of the election. They should be democratic for the first time.

    “We have seen how democratic they are, but for the first time in 2015, we have opposition party taking over from the ruling party. We expect them to do the same.”

    Fayose alleged that the APC was planning to rig the election “having been rejected by the people,” saying the PDP had already won the election.

    He said: “They (PDP leaders) are here because they know that PDP has won this election. Everyone is on the same page with us. The only thing the APC is holding on to is to rig the election. We have told INEC that this is a pointer to the 2019 election. They should save their image.

    “The country is bigger than all of us. Let me tell them, if rigging has been tried elsewhere it won’t work here. The people will defend this election. We are aware of plans to bring thugs here to disrupt the election. The people will stand up to them.

    “The PDP leadership is in the state today to strengthen our hands and assured us of their support. I want to say that this election is about the people for the people and it must be so. Ekiti election is not only about Nigeria. The whole world is watching.”

     

  • Fayemi is the reason Ekiti is under financial burden – PDP

    Ekiti State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Gboyega Oguntuase, has alleged that the debts incurred by the Kayode Fayemi administration from 2010 to 2014 had so far cost the state N35.34billion.

    The PDP claimed that the N35.3 billion was used in the servicing of debts, and deductions from statutory allocations from October 2014 till date.

    But the former Governor and immediate past Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Fayemi has swiftly denied the allegation, describing it as a deliberate falsehood, sponsored by Gov. Ayo Fayose to smear his image as well as cover up the failure of his government to deliver on his electoral promises.

    Fayemi who reacted through the Media Director of his Campaign Organization, Wole Olujobi, said the campaign of lies was a sign of frustrations from the Fayose camp.

    Fayemi said Fayose and his party decided to embark on character assassination because of his rising political profile and the imminence of the PDP candidate’s rejection at the coming gubernatorial poll.

    ” It is ridiculous that Fayose and his aides can still be peddling inaccurate debt figures after the Debt Management Office(DMO) had published the debts taken by Fayose himself alone, in the last three years which has amounted to N56billion, even though he swore and lied many times that he never borrowed a kobo.

    ” We admit that Fayemi borrowed N25b to be defrayed within three years and records are there at the DMO that Fayemi paid back N14.5billion of the debts, leaving the balance of only N10.5billion before he left office on Oct. 16, 2014.

    ” If the official debt figures are as stated above, how then did they come about spending N35.34billion to service an outstanding debt of N10.5billion”? Fayemi queried.

    NAN reports that the state PDP boss had in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti, raised the alarm that by calculation, the N35.34billion sum already paid to service debt allegedly incurred by Fayemi, meant that the state was servicing the debts at an average of N1.1billion monthly.

    He added that it also means about 40 percent of the state’s allocation was being deducted from source monthly.

    The PDP Chairman claimed that documents from the DMO and the Federal Ministry of Finance, agencies in charge of the debts and statutory allocations, revealed that the debts were incurred under several headings.

    He added that between October and December 2014, the state’s allocations had N1.71billion deducted to service the debts.

    “In 2015, the sum of N7.85billion was deducted from our allocations. In 2016, it was N11.30billion, in 2017, it was N12.12billion and from January to May this year, the sum of N4.94billion had been deducted.

    ” While we have paid off the commercial agriculture credit scheme, we are yet to pay off others and some will run till 2036

    ” The implications of this are many. If we had such a huge sum, we wouldn’t be owing workers’ salaries and more welfare programmes and projects would have been executed by the Fayose administration

    “The debts are under these headings: Contractual obligations, fertiliser, foreign loans, bonds, commercial agriculture credit scheme, water projects, restructuring of bank loans, excess crude loan among others.

    ” For instance, under contractual obligations is the vehicles and buses they purchased for traditional rulers and various groups that they did not pay a kobo before they left office.

    ” Under commercial agriculture credit scheme is their YCAD programme that failed woefully, they also took money for the rehabilitation of water scheme and the money they borrowed for Ero Dam rehabilitation just went down the drain

    “We all know the N25billion they borrowed from the Capital Market to finance some projects, but where are the projects? They never built any Governor’s Office. They did not build a new Oja Oba Market, they did not complete their Event centre. Even the state pavilion was not fully completed,”

    “Fayemi is the reason Ekiti State is under financial burden. He plunged the state into debts and can’t point to any tangible project he executed while in office. His administration also got the highest revenues from the Federation Account in the history of the state,” he claimed”.

    Oguntuase who asked the electorate not to vote for Fayemi in the coming poll, said members of the public could get the details of the debts on the websites of the DMO and the Federal Ministry of Finance and in their offices. (NAN)