Governor says he’s too busy to care about Obanikoro’s allegations

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October 20, 2016 2:17 PM

Obanikoro has told operatives of the EFCC that he sent N2.3bn over to Fayose in 2014

Ex-Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has told Pulse that he’s too busy with the demands of his office to care about the allegations levelled against him by former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro.

Obanikoro who arrived Nigeria last week from the United States, has told operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that he sent N2.3bn over to Fayose in the run-up to the 2014 Governorship election in the South West State.

The cash was airlifted to Ekiti in two chartered aircrafts.

Biodun Agbele, an associate of Fayose’s, took delivery of the money in Ekiti.

Obanikoro said he sent the money to Fayose following express orders from Sambo Dasuki, erstwhile National Security Adviser (NSA) to then President Goodluck Jonathan.

In typical fashion, Fayose is pulling no punches on this one.

“This project ‘Fayose must be implicated at all cost’ will definitely not put food on the tables of Nigerians and for all I care, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and its collaborators can keep running from pillar to post while I keep delivering good governance to Ekiti and its people,” Fayose told Pulse through a statement made available by his Special Adviser on Public Communication and New Media, Lere Olayinka.

“We have gone past this stage of media trial, EFCC should rather keep its gun powder dry, when we get to the bridge, we will cross it. They said more than this in the 2006 poultry scam blackmail, despite that, I am the Governor today.”

Fayose also said Obanikoro has been compromised by law enforcement agencies.

“Those who arranged the dramatic and compromised return of Senator Obanikoro to Nigeria obviously did so in continuation of their project ‘Fayose must be implicated at all cost.”

“As far as I am concerned, I am busy here in Ekiti attending to the welfare and well-being of my people. I won’t be distracted,” the Governor added.

Fayose also said accepting donations to fund elections isn’t a crime. He said if it is, the governing APC is just as guilty.

“Since we are now in the era in which financial assistance from Nigerians to fund elections is being criminalised, the international community, especially those funding EFCC must insist that the commission probes the funding of APC elections before further funds are released to the commission,” he said.

There was no word from Fayose on whether elections should be bankrolled with funds meant to equip the army.

Pulse put calls across to Fayose’s media aide, Olayinka, for a more detailed response for this story, but he kept cutting the calls off.

Text messages sent to Olayinka were also not answered at the time of filing this story.

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