Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe into N5 billion allegedly earmarked to buy votes during the Saturday’s primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Fayose expressed worries over movement of alleged questionable funds into the state, saying genuine lovers of democracy should be worried that over N5 billion cash will be going into mere primary election of a political party that claimed to be fighting corruption.
The governor, alleged that some of the APC governorship aspirants had earmarked N1 million each to buy 2,000 delegates and other ones between N500,000 and N200,000 for at least 1,500 delegates
He said: “If truly President Muhammadu Buhari is truly fighting corruption, anti-corruption agencies will have their searchlights beamed on the conduct of the APC primary election in Ekiti State, with a view to unraveling where the billions of naira cash being shared left, right and center are coming from.
“Even those claiming to have integrity among them are saying on live radio programmes that they have enough cash to bribe delegates, this is ridiculous.”
The Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, quoted him as saying in a statement issued yesterday, that it was alarming and questionable how a single aspirant will amass N2 billion to bribe delegates.
He asked: “Were they keeping the money somewhere with the intention of using it to buy their party members that they have impoverished by ruining the country’s economy?
“If they spend over N5 billion just to get the party ticket, how much are they going to spend for the election proper? And where lies their claim to anti-corruption fight?”
The governor however described the naira rain in the APC as the party members’ share from the money their leaders may have looted from either from Ekiti treasury or national treasury.
Fayose said even though he remained confident that the APC will again be defeated in the July 14 governorship election, “the level at which cash is now flying among aspirants of a party that claimed to be fighting corruption is worrisome.”
