APC Flays Fayose Over Presidential Ambition Declaration
The All Progressives Congress ( APC) in Ekiti State has criticised Governor Ayodele Fayose for declaring ambition to contest the 2019 presidential election while owing state workers salaries and allowances ranging from six to eight months.
The party said the governor’s action is a height of insensitivity to the people’s plights and “irresponsible conduct to behave as if Ekiti State treasury is a personal estate for private comfort”.
Fayose had on Thursday declared his presidential ambition at a ceremony held in Abuja, the nation’s capital, in breach of his party’s arrangement to zone the office to the North.
But in a statement in Ado-Ekiti by Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party flayed the governor for “being blind to the sufferings of workers while pursuing self-promoting presidential ambition”.
He said it was unconscionable for the governor to keep deceiving workers on the state’s poor finances to endure suffering while he enjoyed full life with his family and pursuing mundane fancies without sparing thoughts for the sufferings of the people.
“It is the height of wickedness for Fayose to always call teachers to meetings like he did this week to brainwash them on the state’s poor finances and later give them N1,500 pittance for transport until the next brainwashing session with these teachers in empty stomachs while he enjoys full life misapplying state’s money for his fancies.
“This is more condemnable against the backdrop of facts available to Ekiti people that Fayose has been awarding contracts at over-bloated costs to his friends outside Ekiti State contrary to his promise to patronise indigenous contractors during his campaigns,” Olatunbosun said.
He contended that the money the state had collected so far since the governor’s assumption of office is enough to make the people happy if he had applied the money honestly and transparently, saying his Thursday presidential declaration was to distract the people from alleged funds mismanagement in pursuit of a selfish ambition.
“The presidential declaration is a distraction to keep Ekiti busy from keeping attention to his illegality in the application of Ekiti money for selfish purposes and a ploy to embark on whipping up sentiments to escape justice in his misapplication of Ekiti money.
“We urge the EFCC to be meticulous in their investigations into how the governor misapplied bailout of N20b, CBN’s N2b loan for small-scale enterprises, N10b loan for projects, N2.8b UBEC/Subeb counterpart fund (which was not matched by the state Govt),Monthly allocation from the Federation Account to Local govt council and Paris Club cash that he has diverted to his ill-motivated projects for selfish motives, while Ekiti people go to bed in empty stomachs,” Olatunbosun concluded.
