The embattled PDP state secretary, who disclosed this at a briefing with some select journalists in Abuja at the weekend, said that the $35 million was allegedly delivered to Fayose on June 17, 2014, at Spotless Hotel, owned by the governor, by a stalwart of the then ruling party and former minister, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro. He stated that $2 million was collected at NNPC Towers on March 23, 2014.
Aluko said that his position as Chairman, Security and Intelligence Committee of Fayose’s campaign facilitated his presence at such sensitive meetings. His words: “As the chairman of the Security and Intelligence Committee, I was always present at all meetings.
I was very conversant with all the details and I have all the records. “Immediately after the primaries, Fayose made it known to all that the only way we can convincingly win is to use the military. That is why we pushed for Jelil Adesiyan as Minister of Police Affairs and Musiliu Obanikoro as Minister of State for Defence. With the uncertainty over the fate of President Jonathan, we were all desperate to secure the South-West…
“After the primaries, we went to Jonathan for funding and security. On the funding, Jonathan gave us $35 million (about N4.7 billion as at that time) for the real election. Even for primary election, he released $2 million to Fayose. I have the details.
“It was Obanikoro that brought the $35 million to Spotless Hotel in Ado Ekiti; the hotel is owned by the governor. Eight people were present when the minister brought the money. The PDP leaders were all present when the money was brought for transparency and accountability.
“So, the security and funding for Fayose’s election came from the presidency. Even the $2 million for the primary election was collected at the NNPC Towers, Abuja. They took $300,000 from the $2 million dollars for the courier. The money was given to Fayose, myself and Hon. Femi Bamisile.
We took the money to Prince and Princess Estate in Abuja where Fayose has a house. That was on Monday March 23, 2014. The N4.7 billion came into Ekiti on June 17, 2014. “It was also at the Aso Villa that a meeting was held between top military chiefs and Fayose’s team. The president was present at the meeting.
That was where the security arrangement for the election was decided.” Aluko said that the $35 million was changed in Onitsha, Anambra State, in a “powerful man’s bureau de change.” He alleged that former PDP national chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, gave Fayose N20 million for the primaries. Fayose neither confirmed nor denied the receipt of the money.
In another interview on Channels TV last night, Aluko said N1 billion was shared to officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for Ekiti and Osun governorship polls. Special Assistant to the governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, stated that Fayose got money from different sources in the course of prosecuting his election.
“As per the 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.
“However, if money belonging to the All Progressives Congress (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 Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).” While maintaining that he had known the governor for 40 years, Aluko said he facilitated Fayose’s waiver upon his return to the PDP.
The politician, who had testified before the Kaduna Military Panel on the conducts of some Army officers and soldiers, commended the report, which was submitted on January 11, at the Army headquar-ters, by the Chairman of the Board of Enquiry and General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division of the Nigerian Army in Kaduna, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade.
The report recommended the compulsory retirement of two officers, while three others were to lose their command, for varying degrees of alleged compromise during the exercises. Also, the Oyebade-led board had recommended the trial of another officer over financial gratification, even as 15 others were to be placed on the Army’s watch list.
The Board of Enquiry further recommended the investigation of nine officers by the EFCC, six officers to face an audit committee, while 62 officers, who are mostly of the rank of Majors and below, were to be given Letters of Displeasure and to appear before their respective General Officers Commanding for counselling. Aluko alleged that “44 special strike teams,” with Toyota Hilux vehicles bearing special stickers, were used during the election.
According to him, the security operatives, who constituted the special strike teams, wore “black hand bands,” ostensibly for identification purposes. The Hilux vehicles, he further claimed, came from Abuja and Onitsha in Anambra State, respectively.
He added that each strike team had a Hilux truck attached to them,alleging further that “we had detention camps,” where opposition politicians arrested, were allegedly kept. Aluko alleged that in order to win the election convincingly, the PDP used the military. He said they went to see a certain senior Army officer in Akure, Ondo State, but were not given audience, a development, he alleged, led to the said officer’s redeployment. He said that at the end of the day, 1,040 “recognised soldiers” were deployed, even as he further claimed that another 400 were brought in by a powerful politician from the South-East.
The PDP chieftain said the ‘strike force’ arrested many leaders of the APC on the eve of the election and kept them in a detention camp, saying that those arrested were released immediately after the election. As a result of the deft manoeuvres, he alleged that there was arguably no strong opposition party leader or group on the Election Day, Saturday June 21, 2014. The PDP scribe said that he disclosed “this much” to the Army panel that sat in Kaduna.
He added that the international agencies that adjudged the election to be free were only on ground on the Election Day, as they were not privy to events preceding the exercise. When asked why he decided to be so critical of his party and Fayose, having regard to the fundamental roles he admitted he had played, Aluko identified alleged breach of agreement as the cause of his action. He claimed that the governor breached an agreement to make him (Aluko) his Chief of Staff (CoS), upon winning the election.
The party secretary said it was also agreed that a former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Femi Bamisile, would emerge deputy CoS. Aluko said he was using the opportunity to apologise to Ekiti people for allegedly bringing in Fayose as governor.
Meanwhile, Fayose’s aide has described Aluko as a new distraction from the APC in Ekiti State, saying he does not deserve a response from sane minds. Olayinka said that “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.” 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 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 well, saying something else more than one year after is an admittance by Aluko himself that he is not a stable character.
“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 the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to tell Nigerians that an election it conducted, in which an incumbent governor lost in his own local government, was not credible.”
