Embattled 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 of Ekiti State, $37m cash to prosecute the June 21, 2014, governorship election in the state.
Aluko said the money was effectively used to defeat the then Governor of the State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress.
He spoke with reporters in Abuja on Sunday.
Aluko, who said he was part of the team that prosecuted the election and also added that he was the chairman of the Intelligence, security committee for the campaign.
Beside, he said he handled the waiver Fayose got from the PDP at the national level to enable him qualify to take part in the governorship primary.
To further buttress important roles he played in the emergence of Fayose, Aluko also said he delivered the congresses that produced Fayose and was also the governor’s principal witness at the Election Petition Tribunal.
He said Jonathan initially gave Fayose $2m in March 2014 for the primary election and that this money was collected at the NNPC Towers, Abuja.
Aluko said, “It was about $35m dollars which is about N4.7bn he gave us for the real election and for the primaries, he released 2 million dollars to Fayose.
“I have details for all I am saying and I was present when they brought the money and it was Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro that brought the money, the 35 million dollars which he delivered to Fayose at Spotless Hotel.
“I can name eight people that were there. We were all there because he said he will want us to take delivery so that there will be transparency and accountability.
Meanwhile, Governor Ayo Fayose yesterday condemned the statement by a former secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Tope Aluko, saying he does not deserve a response.
The governor spoke through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media Mr. Lere Olayinka.
He said Aluko was beclouded by his desperation to seek revenge against Fayose because of his refusal to make him his Chief of Staff. He (Aluko) is not mindful of committing the criminal offence of perjury, the statement added.
The governor described as “shameful” that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has refused to accept a scandalous electoral defeat they suffered 19 months ago, asking whether it was also soldiers that rigged the 2015 presidential, senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly elections that the party lost.
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 where he was the only witness called by the PDP and Governor Fayose.
“If after giving evidence under oath at the tribunal that the Election was free, fair and credible and that security agents, including soldiers performed their duties creditably, saying something else more than one year after is not fair.
“It is also a demonstration of the fact that given the right offer tomorrow, the same Aluko can also address the press tomorrow to deny all he said today. He can even deny his own existence since he can deny what he said under oath just because he was not made Chief of Staff.
“Therefore, we won’t bother ourselves responding to what a political parasite chooses to say because he wouldn’t have said what he is saying today if he had been made Chief of Staff to Governor Fayose and it is sure that if he is called today, and given the right offer, he will
begin to sing another song.
“Also, the APC bad losers in Ekiti State should know that it will take more than recruiting and paying a disgruntled TKO Aluko to discredit an election adjudged by both local and international observers, including the United States government as free, fair and credible.
They will probably need to pay INEC to tell Nigerians that an election it conducted, in which an incumbent governor lost in his own local government, was not credible.
“As per his claim that $37 million 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 him to begin to advertise in the media the level of support the governor received from individuals, corporate organisations or groups.