Why Fayose is afraid of Fayemi, by Wole Olujobi

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State had over the years devised several tricks and employed raw power to ensure that Dr. Kayode Fayemi is not allowed to contest the July 14 governorship election after facts emerged that Ekiti people have become weary of Fayose’s fraudulent administration that holds lies and deceits as articles of faith.

Though Fayemi is eminently qualified to contest the election, Fayose mounted roadblocks, including a fraudulent White Paper, for the former governor and immediate past Minister of Mines and Steel Development to ensure that by all means Fayemi does not succeed him for obvious reasons, among which are the followings:

Fayose is conscious of the consequences of the criminal conspiracy and act of treason through which he got to power by the use of federal forces of coercion and massive funding. He does not want Fayemi to contest the July 14 governorship election because he thinks that like he (Fayose) did in 2014, Fayemi will also mobilise federal resources of the same scale or even bigger in size than that of 2014 to revenge the 2014 armed take-over of government from Fayemi.

Fayose is afraid of fraud allegations bordering on budget padding in the payment of workers’ salaries. Fayemi was paying N2.6b as salaries monthly, but after Fayose cancelled all Fayemi’s empowerment schemes involving 40,000 people that Fayose removed from the state’s wage bill he inherited from Fayemi, Fayose still signs off N2.6b as wage bill every month with report that the actual wage bill is N1.7b while the N900m monthly difference allegedly goes to private pocket in alleged wage bill padding.

The governor is afraid of investigation into the alleged flyover and new market projects frauds with the allegation that the two projects costs were inflated, including allegations that members of Fayose’s family are sub-contractors in the projects. Fayose’s flyover of 800 metres long built on dry ground and at a place that does not have records of traffic chaos in Ado-Ekiti is the most costly flyover in Nigeria, more expensive than that of Governor Amosu’s new flyover in Kuto, Abeokuta, that is better in quality and standard than that of Fayose in Ado-Ekiti.

According to reports, in order to save himself from public anger,  Fayose in the public will claim that the bridge ‎cost N6.5b while in official records, a staggering amount of N17.5b was spent on that single lane 800m flyover that Fayose says is 1.5 kilometres.

There were reports that the new Oja Oba was awarded at N3b‎ while the actual cost is N2b. The alleged disagreement in alleged loot sharing led to the arrest of contractor that landed him in jail in Ado-Ekiti.

He also does not want Fayemi to succeed him because of the allegation of flyover compensation fraud in which house owners that lost their houses to road construction reportedly got a fraction of what Fayose allegedly computed to the Federal Government for reimbursements.

He is scared of likely investigation and prosecution of Ekitigate fraud participants and other incidents of violence against APC leaders and members as revealed in the Capt Sagir Koli tape and as corroborated by PDP State Secretary, Dr Tope Aluko. Some opposition members also lost their cars and other properties to violence by PDP thugs in 2014 violence allegedly master-minded by Fayose.

The governor is afraid of Fayemi launching investigation into the new loans taken by Fayose totalling N117b (even though he has always insisted that he has not borrowed one kobo) and how the funds were misappropriated.

All reports of alleged frauds against Fayose in the media scare him in case civil servants leak reports that will implicate him if Fayemi decides to investigate all the allegations

Fayose is scared stiff of the fate that awaits him after his inability to successfully manipulate the alleged  murder cases against him in courts, including those of Dr Ayo Daramola and Tunde Omojola, and the consequences of the re-opening of these cases by Fayemi.

Reports say killers squads are back in Ekiti and it was confirmed that the names of some of Fayemi’s aides are on the hit list. Will Fayemi not probe this?

Fayose wants his crony as governor, who he can influence to cover him in stopping all probes against him.

Fayose prefers even friendly candidate in APC who will give him a soft-landing after losing the election. Reports said that before APC primaries, Fayose  was convinced that Eleka cannot win the election, hence he was allegedly working secretly with some APC aspirants to win the election for a soft-landing to save him from probe.

He is afraid that Fayemi coming back will be a pay back time for his false allegations he has been raising against Fayemi to smear his reputation.

Ikere road project is also a source of worry for Fayose. Fayemi awarded the road from Ado-Ekiti  end to Iju-Itaogbolu end, a distance of about six kilometres and paid a mobilisation fee of N1.2b to the contractors. Fayose cancelled the contract and allegedly diverted the project to his Afao-Ekiti township road project that is not up to one kilometre without accounting for the cost variation. Fayose re-awarded Ikere contract with costs appropriated in the budget, but Fayose again allegedly coerced private companies to contribute their corporate social responsibility cash for the same project. According to reports, Wema Bank alone contributed N400m to Ikere road project, but this is not reflected in the state accounts according to the appropriation law. Wema Bank was allegedly coerced to pay the N400m into KOPEK Construction Company’s account, the contractor handling the project and allegedly owned by Fayose’s friend. Fayose knows that Fayemi will investigate Ikere road fraud, hence he will do everything to ensure that Fayemi does not succeed him.

The implication is that while the state government budgeted for Ikere road, another source of financing the same project is through corporate organisations. Fayose is afraid that Fayemi will open the books to probe all these alleged irregularities.

Don’t forget also the allegation that Fayose coerced the 16 local governments chairmen to return N30m each from their shares of Paris Club refunds to him illegally for alleged personal use. The matter is already with EFCC. Fayemi as governor will not cover Fayose on this allegation of fraud.

Fayose  allegedly awarded N300m to himself as a monthly security vote and another monthly N90m called “sundry expenses” and allegedly topped it with the purchase of a N1.5b private jet in a state where commissioners, Assembly members and workers are owed between six and nine months salary arrears. He is afraid that Fayemi will expose all these to the world.

Fayose is afraid that Fayemi will restore all the pro-people schemes and policies, including local council development areas that he initiated but which Fayose cancelled. Fayose deceived Ekiti people with better schemes and policies while cancelling these schemes and policies by Fayemi. But four years after, Ekiti people discovered that Fayose deceived them, doing nothing to better the lives of the people. For example, Fayose introduced obnoxious tax regime whereby school pupils, truck pushers, kiosk owners and tipper operators, among other small business owners, are over-taxed before they can operate. But with Fayemi coming back again to restore these programmes and policies, including social security for the elderly people that Fayose cancelled, with Fayemi also cancelling all obnoxious taxes,  Ekiti people will see Fayemi as their saviour and Fayose as enemy of the people, thus losing Ekiti people’s support to Fayemi, which may cost Fayose his political future.

In a nutshell, Fayose sees Fayemi as a dangerous successor, who will right Fayose’s wrongs, including regular payment of salaries that can put Fayose in bad light while Fayemi becomes the hero among Ekiti people. Fayose does not want this for his political survival.

. Olujobi is the Director of Media and Publicity, Kayode Fayemi Campaign‎ Organisation.