A former Secretary of the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Temitope Aluko, has alleged that former President Goodluck Jonathan gave Governor Ayo Fayose N4.7bn cash to prosecute the June 21, 2014 governorship election in the state.
Aluko said the money was used to defeat the then Governor of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress.
Aluko, who spoke with reporters in Abuja on Sunday, also revealed how the PDP rigged the governorship election.
Aluko, who said he was part of the team that prosecuted the election, added that he was the Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee for the Fayose Campaign Organisation.
He explained that he handled the waiver Fayose got from the PDP at the national level to enable him to qualify to take part in the governorship primary.
To buttress the roles he played in the emergence of Fayose, Aluko said he delivered the congresses that produced Fayose and was also the governor’s principal witness at the Election Petitions Tribunal.
He said Jonathan initially gave Fayose $2m in March 2014 for the primary election, pointing out that this money was collected at the NNPC Towers, Abuja.
Aluko said, “It was about $35m, which is about N4.7bn he gave us for the real election and for the primaries, he released $2m to Fayose. I have details of all I am saying and I was present when they brought the money and it was Senator Musiliu Obanikoro that brought the money, the $35m, which he delivered to Fayose at Spotless Hotel.
“I can name eight people that were there. We were all there because he said he would want us to take delivery so that there will be transparency and accountability.
“Let me just stop there for now, but I am just trying to say that both the security and the funding came from the Presidency and even the primaries money we collected at the NNPC Towers in Abuja here and they took $300,000 from the $2m for courier which was on Monday, 23rd of March 2014 and we took it to Prince and Princess, Fayose’s house, but the N4.7bn came into Ekiti on June 17, 2014.”
He said the $35m was “taken to a bureau de change in Onitsha where it was converted to N4.7bn.”
In his reaction on Sunday, Fayose said he would not take issue with Aluko because he was (Aluko) bitter, adding that he got money from different sources.
He, however, did not deny that the former President gave him the amount being alleged by his accuser.
Fayose’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka, said Aluko was already beclouded by his desperation to seek revenge against Fayose because of the governor’s refusal to make him his Chief of Staff, such that he (Aluko) was not mindful of committing the criminal offence of perjury.
“As per his claim that $37m 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 us 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.”
The governor’s aide asked whether it was also soldiers that rigged the 2015 presidential, senatorial, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly elections that the APC lost in Ekiti.
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, being the only witness called by the PDP and Fayose.
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