Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has criticised former President Goodluck Jonathan for describing the flyover constructed by Governor Ayodele Fayose as the best in the country, saying this showed the ex-president ran a government that was largely corrupt by his utterances.
It said branding the N800 million flyover built by Fayose at the whopping cost of N17 billion as the best of its type in Nigeria is a slap on the faces of Ekiti people and reasonable Nigerians in general.
The party also described as hypocritical Jonathan’s call on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure credible election in the July 14 governorship poll in the state.
The former president was in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend to commission the
Fajuyi-Ojumose flyover in the state capital where he described the project as the best in Nigeria.
He also called on President Buhari to ensure a free and fair election in the July 14, 2018 governorship poll in which Fayemi is squaring up with Jonathan’s party’s candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement in Ado-Ekiti Monday, the APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said it is unfortunate that the former president who should frown on the overbloated cost of a one-lane flyover of N800 million built at the outrageous cost of N17 billion acted to please the beneficiary of the electoral heist he organised in 2014 to return Fayose to power.
“It is unfortunate and irresponsible to hide under partisanship to lend support for a clear case of fraud in the N800m one-lane flyover built on a dry land at a whopping cost of N17b as if the former
president never supervised the construction of better flyovers at
lower rates when he was president.
“Even though Fayose at various times had claimed that the flyover at Fajuyi and Ojumose stretch of the state capital is 1.3km and 1.5km, the truth is that that stretch of road is N800m and it cannot stand the standard of a better flyover in Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State, built at a
lower cost by Governor Ibikunle Amosun, but unfortunately the former president gave a stamp of approval to a clear case of fraud in a flyover that was first awarded at the cost of N5.9b without the
Tenders Board’s approval but later reviewed upward single-handedly by
the governor to its present cost of N17b.
“It is also immoral to praise Fayose for diverting bailout, Paris Club refund and Budget Support Facility, all approved to pay workers’ salaries to build a flyover at over-bloated cost of N17b awarded to
Fayose’s friends’ companies outside the state after deceiving contractors of Ekiti origin during his campaigns to patronise them exclusively for all his projects,” he said.
Olatunbosun also accused Jonathan of affront, hypocrisy and dishonesty in his call on President Buhari to ensure free governorship election on July 14.
He said: “We had thought that Jonathan would behave like a true statesman and apologise to Ekiti people over the criminal taking over of government he supervised in 2014 when he unleashed soldiers, DSS and police to chase away opposition to the bush while several
opposition leaders were illegally clamped into detention to disenfranchise the opposition party in the election that returned his stooge to power.
“We condemn this unconscionable conduct by the former president who
unleashed an horrendous electoral heist on Ekiti people, but who now turns around to demand free and fair poll he could not give.â€
