Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has accused the Federal Government of deliberately withholding the release of the Paris Club refund to states purposely to prevent Ekiti from using the money to pay arrears of workers’ salaries before the July 14 governorship election.
The governor also warned the Independent National Electoral Commission against stopping the collation of election results midway, as was done during the governorship election in Edo State.
Fayose, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, accused the Federal Government of deliberately withholding the money after Ekiti and other states had been cleared to get the refund.
The governor said, “If it is released to other states without the inclusion of Ekiti, people will suspect the Federal Government of playing politics with it. The Federal Government used those tactics in Kogi to assist the APC candidate to win.
“I am using this forum to inform Ekiti people that the Federal Government is punishing and depriving them of their entitlement because of politics. They think that if I am not able to pay the four months’ salaries owed the workers, they will vote for the APC.
“Ekiti people are not fools, they know that the Fayemi administration plunged the state into debt. Fayemi left two months’ salaries unpaid and N1.2bn is being deducted every month from Ekiti allocations to service the debt.
“So far, N35.34bn has been deducted from allocations coming to Ekiti to service debts owed by the Fayemi administration.
“If I have N35.34bn, I will not owe workers and I will be able to take care of the needs of the people. Ekiti people are not fools and will not again accept the APC. They know that the Fayemi administration is the cause of the unpaid salaries.”
Fayose recalled that he paid the debt left by the Alliance for Democracy government of Otunba Niyi Adebayo.
