Ekiti State Government has reacted to the spurious allegations being made by the state chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Chief Dipo Anisulowo, chair of the transition committee put in place by the Governor-elect, Mr Ayodele Fayose, describing the outburst of the two as highly irresponsible and infantile in nature.
The media have been awash, in the last two weeks with unfounded stories of allegations of shady deals levelled against the incumbent administration. The allegations ranged from last minutes recruitment of workers, to panicky withdrawal of funds among others.
The state government however said in a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday that no responsible party or transition committee would make such malicious allegations against the incumbent administration, especially when such claims are unfounded.
The statement which was signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Yinka Oyebode and made available to journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, said that the Fayemi administration has run the affairs of the state in the last four years with utmost regard for public accountability and fiscal responsibility laws, a development that has earned the state accolades from relevant authorities and rating organisations both locally and globally.
“Having built a reputation of service and integrity over the years, nothing- not even a controversial loss in an election – would make us go back on this path of honour. Neither are we going to succumb to cheap and infantile blackmail.”, the statement added.
Saying that the allegations of the PDP are not only wicked, reckless and malicious, the statement added that it was a calculated attempt to tarnish the reputation of the current administration in the state and an anticipatory excuse for lack of performance when the new government get into office.
The state government challenged the PDP to mention the banks where the alleged illegal movement of funds took place and explain where the so called 3,000 workers were recruited illegally. It added that the establishment of LCDAs went through a due process that culminated in the law passed by the state Assembly establishing the 19 new LCDAs, stressing that the incoming Government could annul the new councils by simply going through the lay down procedure if it so desired.
The Government also used the opportunity to address the delayed payment of August salary to workers in the State, stressing that it was the first time that workers salary has been delayed in almost four years of the Fayemi administration, noting that this has been due to the non-availability of the overdraft facility to the state due to the panic created in financial institutions dealing with the state by the Governor-elect. “If Mr Fayose and his team believe that indeed many of these allegations have any iota of truth in them, one would have expected that a team that espouses a commitment to cooperation and reconciliation would have made an effort to seek further clarification on the many destructive allegations before rushing to the press if this was not a calculated agenda to malign and manipulate public opinion.”
The government maintained that the PDP’s attitude of making false claims and raising false alarm is an immature approach to the transition arrangement, a development which it said has put the incoming government on a faulty start as people are now raising serious questions about its credibility.
The government said that the PDP and its candidate, having failed to come up with any meaningful plan or manifesto for the state during the electioneering period should be advised to spend the transition period to work out a plan for the state instead of investing its time and energy on concocting defamatory claims.
The state government said that the PDP had resorted to blackmailing the Dr Kayode Fayemi administration after it alerted the public and the banking authorities in the country of the subterranean moves by Fayose to have unauthorised dealings with banks that have relationships with the state government.
“Immediately we foiled that move by notifying relevant authorities of plans by the Governor-elect to have under- the- table dealings with the banks under the guise of checking financial details, the PDP resorted to cheap blackmail. But we are undeterred”.
The statement reads in part: “For a party that is set to form government in a matter of weeks to seek to discredit the incumbent administration, through sheer falsehood and blackmail is simply irresponsible and childish.
“PDP should mention the banks where the alleged illegal movement of funds took place and also where the so called 3,000 workers were recruited illegally. Equally the establishment of LCDAs went through a process that started with the Justice Ajakaiye’s committee and culminated in the law passed by the Legislature establishing the 19 new LCDAs. If the incoming Government so desires let it go through due process and get the assembly to annul the process that established the LCDAs. “Concerning the delayed payment of August salary to workers in the State, it is pertinent to note that this is the first time that workers salary has been delayed in almost four years of the Fayemi administration and this has been due to the non-availability of the overdraft facility to the state due to the panic created in financial institutions dealing with the state by the Governor-elect. While every effort is being made to meet our obligations to our workers, one should state that even at that, almost all states encounter delays in salary payment and despite every effort to avoid this, Ekiti cannot be an exception to the rule in the face of dwindling resources and reduced federal allocations. “Instead of turning this into a political poker, one would have expected the incoming administration to work closely with the outgoing government by closing ranks in the interest of the State. The same goes for the irresponsible accusation of a debt overhang. What the Fayemi administration has done with the state’s borrowings under its watch is public knowledge (in the roads infrastructure, the new Govt House, the new EkitiParapo Pavillion, Lagos Liaison Office, revival of Ire Clay Factory, resuscitation of Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort, the new College of Agriculture, the markets in the 16 LGAs) and can be obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)”.
“If the incoming administration discovers anything untoward or manifestly illegal in the application of the bond’s funds, it should feel free to set criminal investigation in motion and unravel the truth. The Fayemi administration has absolutely nothing to be afraid of as a government founded on the core principles of accountability and transparency. “If Mr Fayose and his team believes that indeed many of these allegations have any iota of truth in them, one would have expected that a team that espouses a commitment to cooperation and reconciliation would have made an effort to seek further clarification on the many destructive allegations before rushing to the press if this was not a calculated agenda to malign and manipulate public opinion.
“One would have expected the incoming administration which failed to present any manifesto or plan to the electorate to spend the transition period to come up with its roadmap for development. But the PDP has continued to feed the citizens with all manners of lies all in the bid to cover up for their incompetence and divert attention from the public outcry against its well exposed illegal dealings with banks that have relationships with the state.
“We daresay that their lies will not change anything. The tenure of this administration ends on October 15th, 2014 and the incoming government would be inaugurated on the 16th of October. Therefore, we, as a responsible government, owe it a duty to continue to provide purposeful leadership for the people of our dear state.
“Having started well on the path of honour and credibility, we intend to end well by ensuring that all projects and programmes of the administrations are fully actualised in a honest and responsible way that has been the hallmark of our administration.
“Having built a reputation of credibility and excellent service delivery, loads of lies and campaign of calumny by the PDP cannot distract us.
“Our concern is that the PDP by its infantile attitude would cause the incoming administration to start on a faulty note. Because our people, having seen through their lies, would tag the incoming administration as one that lacks integrity and credibility.”
Last modified: September 8, 2014