The South West chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has accused the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of spending over N250 million belonging to the state on legal fees, protests and media campaign on the pending Supreme Court case challenging the Court of Appeal judgment that made him governor.
The PDP accused Fayemi of using an agriculture project as a cover up for the withdrawal of the money from the state’s account.
The party therefore urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to beam its searchlights on the state.
The PDP Zonal Publicity Secretary, Hon. Kayode Babade, who made the allegation in a statement on Sunday, said Fayemi approved the N133 million requested through the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Babajide Arowosafe on October 5, 2012, the same day the request was made.
Babade said: “We are aware that N250 million was budgeted for the Supreme Court case. The fund is to be spent on legal fees, organising protests and rallies as well as media campaign.
“Already, we have evidence of how N133 million out of the N250 million was sourced from the State Treasury and we challenge Fayemi and his men to deny that the N133 million was actually meant for the purported Agricultural project for which it was approved.
“In a letter from the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources dated October 12, 2012, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary said the N133 million should be sourced from Head 460-01 Sub-head 30 o the 2012 Revised budget with a provision of N800 million. The letter was signed by one Anjorin A.J on behalf of the Permanent Secretary.
“In the request made by the Commissioner on October 5, 2012, the commissioner said the N133 million will be used mainly for repair and maintenance of Poultry Pens in Erifun, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti (EKSU) and Ona Ofun Ona Orun Farms in Efon (under PPP arrangement) under what they called YCAD- Livestock and Aquaculture Component of the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme Fund.
“Curiously, Governor Fayemi approved the N133 million the same day it was requested by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources.
“We therefore wish to alert Ekiti people and the anti-corruption agencies in the country to this brazen looting of Ekiti State treasury and usage of funds belonging to the people to prosecute a case that is personal to Governor Fayemi and his party, the Action Congress of Nigeria.”
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