$37m To Rig Ekiti Guber Polls: Aluko Is Desperate, Perjured Himself – Fayose

Ayodele FayoseGovernor Ayodele Fayose on Sunday condemned the allegations made by a former secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Mr. Tope Aluko, saying he does not deserve a response.

The governor spoke through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka.

Aluko, who was a guest on a TV programme ‘Politics Today’, made some damning allegations about the 2014 governorship election in Ekiti including how former President Goodluck Jonathan allegedly released the sum of $37 million cash to Mr. Fayose to execute an intriguing rigging plot.

It would be recalled that the former Ekiti PDP scribe was one of the witnesses that testified in camera before the military panel that investigated the role of the military in Ekiti and Osun states elections.

In his reaction, the governor said the sacked PDP scribe was beclouded by his desperation to seek revenge against him (Fayose) because of his refusal to make him his Chief of Staff.

He added that Aluko was unmindful of committing the criminal offence of perjury.

The statement said it was “shameful” that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has refused to accept a scandalous electoral defeat they suffered 19 months ago, asking whether it was also soldiers that rigged the 2015 presidential, senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly elections that the party lost.

He said: “For Aluko to be taken seriously, he must first have to report himself to the police to be tried for perjury and committed to prison for three years since what he is now saying is different from what he said under oath at the Election Tribunal where he was the only witness called by the PDP and Governor Fayose.

“If after giving evidence under oath at the tribunal that the Election was free, fair and credible and that security agents, including soldiers performed their duties creditably, saying something else more than one year after is not fair.

“It is also a demonstration of the fact that given the right offer tomorrow, the same Aluko can also address the press tomorrow to deny all he said today. He can even deny his own existence since he can deny what he said under oath just because he was not made Chief of Staff.

“Therefore, we won’t bother ourselves responding to what a political parasite chooses to say because he wouldn’t have said what he is saying today if he had been made Chief of Staff to Governor Fayose and it is sure that if he is called today, and given the right offer, he will begin to sing another song.

“Also, the APC bad losers in Ekiti State should know that it will take more than recruiting and paying a disgruntled TKO Aluko to discredit an election adjudged by both local and international observers, including the United States government as free, fair and credible.

“They will probably need to pay INEC to tell Nigerians that an election it conducted, in which an incumbent governor lost in his own local government, was not credible.

“As per his claim that $37 million was given to the governor for the election, the governor got financial support from various sources as it is usual of anyone contesting election and it is not for him to begin to advertise in the media the level of support the governor received from individuals, corporate organisations or groups.

“However, if money belonging to the APC is missing and they suspect that the money was stolen by Dr Goodluck Jonathan to fund Ekiti State governorship election, they can approach the EFCC”.