– Governor Ayo Fayose reacts to Dr. Tope Aluko, the
former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretary in Ekiti
state that former president Goodluck Jonathan gave him
the sum of $35million cash to prosecute the state
governorship election
– Fayose’s aide describes Aluko as one with unstable
character
– Aluko says what he has presented to Nigeria is the
truth and nothing but the truth
Governor Ayo Fayose has reacted to the allegation by Dr.
Tope Aluko, the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
secretary in Ekiti state, that former president Goodluck
Jonathan gave him the sum of $35million cash to
prosecute the state governorship election.
Aluko gave a breakdown of how the election was rigged in
favour of the PDP governorship candidate Governor
Ayodele Fayose in an interview on Channels Television and
monitored by Naij.com’s correspondent.
Explaining a process he alleged was used in rigging the
election, Aluko said: “Before the primaries, we had this
believe that because Jonathan was coming out for second
term and because we are going to be the first election in
the south-west, at a meeting, we told him (former
President Goodluck Jonathan) that north-east, north-west
and north-central may not be too sure for him because
the Hausas are clamouring for presidency and that you
now have south-east and south-south, you must manage
the south-west. It was on the basis of that that we told
him that he must manage south-west. Because of his
interest, even before winning the primaries, we did so
many security reports to tell Mr President then that he
must make sure that we manage south-west zone and it
was because of that that he gave us the head of security
agencies.”
Gov Fayose has reacted to claim by Dr Tope Aluko that
Goodluck Jonathan gave him the sum of $35million cash
to prosecute the Ekiti state poll
He further told Channels Television that the Minister for
State for Defence and Minister of Police Affairs were made
to give attention to the election because “we know that
APC was everywhere in the southwest and we must
naturally capture part of southwest if we want to balance
what our brothers in the north were likely to bring on”.
Aluko had testified at the lower tribunal held to look into
the election held last year, but he denied saying at the
lower Tribunal that the election was not rigged.
He said that there was an agreement to take out some
members of the All Progressive Congress to ensure that
they do not give adequate support to their members.
His words: “There was a strike team, a mixture of the
DSS, military, the mobile police… that is about all. We had
a meeting at Aso Rock on security and funds. We were
given security and funds. Those in the meeting include the
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces the former PDP
chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, Governor Fayose and himself
(Aluko).
“At the meeting President Jonathan agreed that if he
needed Ekiti, he would support us to ensure that we
delivered. At the second meeting we had Obanikoro, Jelili,
Omisore… It was a combination of Osun and Ekiti people
and they were discussing how we were going to move to
take the south-west.
“Before the primaries, His Excellency, Ayodele Fayose, said
that we can only win using the military. Then we came up
with a plan about May.
“We swore on the arrangement that we had before we
embarked on the political venture.
“Him (Fayose) becoming the Governor, myself becoming
Chief of Staff and Honourable Femi Bamisile becoming the
Deputy Governor,” he explained, dismissing claims that he
was coming out with the truth because he could not get
what was agreed.
“For the military to indict its members because of the
election of a state you will know that what I am saying is
not a lie.”
However, speaking via his Special Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media Lere Olayinka on
Channels Television and monitored by our correspondent,
Governor Fayose labelled Aluko as one with unstable
character.
“This man here (Aluko) is a man of unstable characters
and everything he has said here is a lie. It is an election,
fund must be spent. People must donate money to fund
an election. Governor Fayose’s friends, associates,
brothers, sisters, families, artisans, including his enemies
donated money to his electoral campaign, I also donated
money.
“The military panel was set up to investigate the role of
military officers in Ekiti, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Rivers state,
including presidential election. Those who have been
sanctioned, can you tell me categorically that they were
sanctioned on their involvement in Ekiti state. On Janaury
14, Ekiti state government wrote to the military to demand
for copy of the military panel report. However, by January
31, we don’t have that report.
“He (Aluko) should be angry because he didn’t get the
position of Chief of Staff but you don’t need to be angry
such that you need to commit criminalities. You don’t
need to be angry so that you now begin to waste your
time. When I was told I have to come here to come and
discuss military panel report, I asked myself, what role will
the military panel report play in an election that was
conducted 19 months ago? Every process that should be
passed through has been done from the tribunal to Appeal
Court and to the Supreme Court, so you cannot go back.
“Even in this case of Ekiti, the military is not a party to the
matter, the police is not a party to the matter. At the
tribunal, Appeal Court and Supreme Court levels, the
military was the first respondent in the case and the police
was the fifth respondent. The Supreme Court said this
people are not necessarily parties in this case. That’s to
say the military have never been part of the electoral
matters.
“The military can decide to indict itself, there was an
election and there were observers. The United State
government and foreign observers said the Ekiti state
governorship election was credible and efficient and that
the military collaborated efficiently with the government in
providing a safe environment free of major incident. If US
can applaud the military and they go ahead to indict
themselves, that’s their business.”
However, when asked if it was true that some people
swore with the Bible on oath with Governor Ayo Fayose on
getting appointment from him, Lere Olayinka said: “If
anybody is coming here to say all that, I feel ashamed. So
being governor in Ekiti has become, I want to be governor,
you want to be deputy and I want to be Chief of staff,
some of these things are political makeups.
“If he (Aluko) comes here to say some of these things, you
should just laugh it off. He had said it by himself that he
was here to say all these because Governor Fayose did not
make him the Chief of Staff. If he received a call that he
had been appointed as the Chief of Staff, he will come
back here to say that all he said was not true. He’s a
selfish person. Governor Fayose is not moved by these lies
because in 2003, he defeated an incumbent governor and
there was nothing military being used to rig the election.
In 2009, Fayose assisted former governor Segun Oni, In
2014 he defeated another incumbent governor. So again I
say it, the governor is not moved.”
However in a swift response Aluko said: “The young man
(Olayinka) here is highly misinformed. He doesn’t know
anything we are talking about, was I not the one that
allowed him enter Fayose’s room? I was the leader of the
pro-primary of Fayose. He doesn’t even have first degree
and he’s talking. I want to use the opportunity to tell the
whole Nigerians to critically look at what he has said. He
didn’t address the issue because he was never there.
When I was in the bedroom of Fayose, people like him
were in the compound.
“So all the documents have presented today are very valid
and we are in court. Are you now saying the military
people are stupid for indicting themselves.”
On Senator Buruji Kashamu denying releasing any money
to fund Fayose’s campaign, Aluko said: “Sen Kashamu
cannot deny that, he cannot deny me.”
Aluko added: “I’m saying this because I want to deepen
our democratic structure. I’m saying this because I want
everybody to know the truth. What I have presented to
Nigeria is the truth and nothing but the truth.”
Aluko had also claimed that a sum of $2million was
offered by Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, the CEO of capital oil, one
of Nigeria’s largest distributors of petroleum, to Governor
Fayose on March 23, 2014 at the NNPC towers, which was
used to prosecute the primary election. According to him,
he was there to witness the transfer alongside Hon Femi
Bamisile.
former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretary in Ekiti
state that former president Goodluck Jonathan gave him
the sum of $35million cash to prosecute the state
governorship election
– Fayose’s aide describes Aluko as one with unstable
character
– Aluko says what he has presented to Nigeria is the
truth and nothing but the truth
Governor Ayo Fayose has reacted to the allegation by Dr.
Tope Aluko, the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
secretary in Ekiti state, that former president Goodluck
Jonathan gave him the sum of $35million cash to
prosecute the state governorship election.
Aluko gave a breakdown of how the election was rigged in
favour of the PDP governorship candidate Governor
Ayodele Fayose in an interview on Channels Television and
monitored by Naij.com’s correspondent.
Explaining a process he alleged was used in rigging the
election, Aluko said: “Before the primaries, we had this
believe that because Jonathan was coming out for second
term and because we are going to be the first election in
the south-west, at a meeting, we told him (former
President Goodluck Jonathan) that north-east, north-west
and north-central may not be too sure for him because
the Hausas are clamouring for presidency and that you
now have south-east and south-south, you must manage
the south-west. It was on the basis of that that we told
him that he must manage south-west. Because of his
interest, even before winning the primaries, we did so
many security reports to tell Mr President then that he
must make sure that we manage south-west zone and it
was because of that that he gave us the head of security
agencies.”
Gov Fayose has reacted to claim by Dr Tope Aluko that
Goodluck Jonathan gave him the sum of $35million cash
to prosecute the Ekiti state poll
He further told Channels Television that the Minister for
State for Defence and Minister of Police Affairs were made
to give attention to the election because “we know that
APC was everywhere in the southwest and we must
naturally capture part of southwest if we want to balance
what our brothers in the north were likely to bring on”.
Aluko had testified at the lower tribunal held to look into
the election held last year, but he denied saying at the
lower Tribunal that the election was not rigged.
He said that there was an agreement to take out some
members of the All Progressive Congress to ensure that
they do not give adequate support to their members.
His words: “There was a strike team, a mixture of the
DSS, military, the mobile police… that is about all. We had
a meeting at Aso Rock on security and funds. We were
given security and funds. Those in the meeting include the
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces the former PDP
chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, Governor Fayose and himself
(Aluko).
“At the meeting President Jonathan agreed that if he
needed Ekiti, he would support us to ensure that we
delivered. At the second meeting we had Obanikoro, Jelili,
Omisore… It was a combination of Osun and Ekiti people
and they were discussing how we were going to move to
take the south-west.
“Before the primaries, His Excellency, Ayodele Fayose, said
that we can only win using the military. Then we came up
with a plan about May.
“We swore on the arrangement that we had before we
embarked on the political venture.
“Him (Fayose) becoming the Governor, myself becoming
Chief of Staff and Honourable Femi Bamisile becoming the
Deputy Governor,” he explained, dismissing claims that he
was coming out with the truth because he could not get
what was agreed.
“For the military to indict its members because of the
election of a state you will know that what I am saying is
not a lie.”
However, speaking via his Special Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media Lere Olayinka on
Channels Television and monitored by our correspondent,
Governor Fayose labelled Aluko as one with unstable
character.
“This man here (Aluko) is a man of unstable characters
and everything he has said here is a lie. It is an election,
fund must be spent. People must donate money to fund
an election. Governor Fayose’s friends, associates,
brothers, sisters, families, artisans, including his enemies
donated money to his electoral campaign, I also donated
money.
“The military panel was set up to investigate the role of
military officers in Ekiti, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Rivers state,
including presidential election. Those who have been
sanctioned, can you tell me categorically that they were
sanctioned on their involvement in Ekiti state. On Janaury
14, Ekiti state government wrote to the military to demand
for copy of the military panel report. However, by January
31, we don’t have that report.
“He (Aluko) should be angry because he didn’t get the
position of Chief of Staff but you don’t need to be angry
such that you need to commit criminalities. You don’t
need to be angry so that you now begin to waste your
time. When I was told I have to come here to come and
discuss military panel report, I asked myself, what role will
the military panel report play in an election that was
conducted 19 months ago? Every process that should be
passed through has been done from the tribunal to Appeal
Court and to the Supreme Court, so you cannot go back.
“Even in this case of Ekiti, the military is not a party to the
matter, the police is not a party to the matter. At the
tribunal, Appeal Court and Supreme Court levels, the
military was the first respondent in the case and the police
was the fifth respondent. The Supreme Court said this
people are not necessarily parties in this case. That’s to
say the military have never been part of the electoral
matters.
“The military can decide to indict itself, there was an
election and there were observers. The United State
government and foreign observers said the Ekiti state
governorship election was credible and efficient and that
the military collaborated efficiently with the government in
providing a safe environment free of major incident. If US
can applaud the military and they go ahead to indict
themselves, that’s their business.”
However, when asked if it was true that some people
swore with the Bible on oath with Governor Ayo Fayose on
getting appointment from him, Lere Olayinka said: “If
anybody is coming here to say all that, I feel ashamed. So
being governor in Ekiti has become, I want to be governor,
you want to be deputy and I want to be Chief of staff,
some of these things are political makeups.
“If he (Aluko) comes here to say some of these things, you
should just laugh it off. He had said it by himself that he
was here to say all these because Governor Fayose did not
make him the Chief of Staff. If he received a call that he
had been appointed as the Chief of Staff, he will come
back here to say that all he said was not true. He’s a
selfish person. Governor Fayose is not moved by these lies
because in 2003, he defeated an incumbent governor and
there was nothing military being used to rig the election.
In 2009, Fayose assisted former governor Segun Oni, In
2014 he defeated another incumbent governor. So again I
say it, the governor is not moved.”
However in a swift response Aluko said: “The young man
(Olayinka) here is highly misinformed. He doesn’t know
anything we are talking about, was I not the one that
allowed him enter Fayose’s room? I was the leader of the
pro-primary of Fayose. He doesn’t even have first degree
and he’s talking. I want to use the opportunity to tell the
whole Nigerians to critically look at what he has said. He
didn’t address the issue because he was never there.
When I was in the bedroom of Fayose, people like him
were in the compound.
“So all the documents have presented today are very valid
and we are in court. Are you now saying the military
people are stupid for indicting themselves.”
On Senator Buruji Kashamu denying releasing any money
to fund Fayose’s campaign, Aluko said: “Sen Kashamu
cannot deny that, he cannot deny me.”
Aluko added: “I’m saying this because I want to deepen
our democratic structure. I’m saying this because I want
everybody to know the truth. What I have presented to
Nigeria is the truth and nothing but the truth.”
Aluko had also claimed that a sum of $2million was
offered by Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, the CEO of capital oil, one
of Nigeria’s largest distributors of petroleum, to Governor
Fayose on March 23, 2014 at the NNPC towers, which was
used to prosecute the primary election. According to him,
he was there to witness the transfer alongside Hon Femi
Bamisile.