The governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, Prof. Kolapo Olusola-Eleka, has accused the Federal Government of moving part of the $321m recovered from the late Abacha family to Ekiti for Saturday’s governorship election.
Eleka, who is the incumbent deputy governor, said about $50m of the recovered loot was moved from Abuja in a chartered flight through Akure Airport to Ekiti in two bullion vans to support the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
The Director, Media and Publicity of Kolapo Olusola Campaign Organisation, Lere Olayinka, raised this alarm at a press briefing in Ado Ekiti on Thursday.
He said, “Last week Saturday, two bullion vehicles were moved to the Akure Airport to evacuate cash brought from Abuja by a chartered flight.
“The flight landed when it was raining and all staff members of the airport were barred from going near the aircraft while the cash was evacuated into the two bullion vehicles.
“After offloading the huge cash, the bullion van first moved to the Ondo State Government House in Akure from where they left for Isan Ekiti, the hometown of the APC governorship candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi.”
Eleka claimed that preliminary findings indicated that N2.5bn cash was transferred by the Kebbi State Government to an account in UBA, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.
“It was withdrawn immediately and moved with a private jet to Akure. Also, apart from the N2.5bn, another $50m (about N18bn) was taken from the $321m recovered from the late Abacha family.
“Our question is, how can a government that claimed to be fighting corruption released billions of naira from the public coffers for the governorship election of a single state? Where is their fight against corruption?”
Eleka called on Nigerians to note this wanton looting of public fund by the APC government to fund the election of its members.
“We must tell Fayemi and his APC that the conscience of the people of Ekiti cannot be purchased and we call on the people of Ekiti to resist the planned use of the stolen fund to buy their votes of Saturday,” he added.
Eleka also called the attention of the public to alleged intimidation and harassment of PDP members by men of the Department of State Services and policemen.
But reacting, the Director, Media and Publicity, Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, Wole Olujobi, described the allegation as coming from the pit of hell.
He said, “Discerning minds will note the lies contained in the story by a single logic that it took Eleka (Olusola) and Olayinka a whole week after the leak of funds movement before they alerted Nigerians about a purported money cargo being offloaded in Akure for Fayemi’s election in Ekiti.
“By this lie from the pit of hell, we know that the PDP is trying to paint a picture that it is a comrade-in-crime with APC after Fayose’s 2014 poll fraud funded with the loot from the office of the National Security Adviser.”
