By Victor Ogunje
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has demanded an explanation from the state Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on how he expended the over N3 billion received from the federal government, World Bank as well as donations from individuals and corporate organisations.
The party also urged Fayemi to tell the Ekiti people the modality adopted for the sharing of palliatives supplied by the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) to ease the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The party also accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of manipulating the police top brass to shield some suspected thugs who allegedly killed one Prince Sunday Ogunleye at Oke Ureje in Ado Ekiti last Tuesday, and invaded GNN Guest House also in Ado Ekiti last Saturday night and attacked a former member of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Dayo Akinleye; Ariyo Afolabi, and three others.
The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, had last Tuesday alleged that all the state governors got a sum of N1 billion from President Muhammadu Buhari and N1.1 billion from the World Bank to fight COVID-19.
The COVID-19 fund mobilisation committee set by Fayemi also generated over N650 million during the long-drawn global pandemic.
In a statement issued yesterday by the state Publicity Secretary of PDP, Raphael Adeyanju, the party said: “The people of Ekiti State deserve to know what happened to the fund since there is no evidence to show that it was spent on anything.
“Apart from the federal government and the World Bank N2 billion total donations, about N1 billion was donated to Ekiti State by private individuals and corporate organisations, making it over N3 billion that the state got for COVID-19.
“Our question is: where is the money?”
The PDP, which also demanded the whereabouts of the palliatives supplied by the private sector-led CACOVID, said since the food items were distributed by CACOVID early this month, Ekiti State government cannot claim to have distributed them.
The party said: “We have read statement by APC in the state claiming that the palliatives donated by CACOVID are being kept in Jibowu Hall as well as three other locations in the Government House, and the government has not refuted this.”
However, in its response, the APC said PDP had already taken laws into its hand by allegedly sponsoring the latest violence in the state which resulted in the arraignment of some PDP leaders. It added that nobody is too big to be dealt with by security agents.
The party’s statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Hon. Ade Ajayi, in Ado Ekiti yesterday said: “With the arrest and arraignment of some hoodlums, who turned out to be PDP members by the police in connection with massive destruction and looting of warehouses in the state last week, faces of those behind the recent terror unleashed on the hapless Ekiti citizens are being unveiled by security agents.
“The APC is now calling on security agents in the state not to treat with kid glove the threat by the PDP that its members will take the law into their hand by resorting to defend themselves against any further attacks.”
