The All Progressive Congress of Ekiti State has described a press statement issued by the state branch of the People’s Democratic Party in which it alleged that the State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has budgeted the sum of 1.2b for his travelling expenses as the height of imbecility.
The party said PDP has finally dragged itself into a level of shamelessness that will finally consume it and drive a wedge between it and the few members who still maintain any form of association with it.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Director of Media and Publicity to the party, Mr. Sam Oluwana, the party wondered why the PDP would descend so low to attack an individual who is trying hard to clean up the gargantuan mess it (PDP) has left behind after four years of looting and misrule.
On the allegation of the N1.2 billion naira travelling expenses, the APC spokesman explained that it was a wicked attempt to heave the blame for an offence committed by the former governor on the present administration.
He added that it was actually the former governor, who was widely reported to have stormed the House of Assembly, seized the gavel from the former Speaker and single handedly passed the 2018 budget.
The statement reads; “According to the Punch story of June 17, 2019, Fayose’s budget was N98.6 billion Naira, with a paltry 718 million Naira, going to the Agric sector, while he ” awarded” a whopping N1.2b for his travelling expenses.
“They have failed at everything including governance, now they have failed in simple propaganda.
“This was a party that was in the saddle for years in the state during which the people were pauperized to the extent of celebrating each time a “kongo of rice” was served to them.”
The statement also noted that in its four years of misrule in the state, the PDP, through its governor, Ayo Fayose, turned the state and the people to beggars that picked crumbs from the table of self-styled master, whose profligate and corrupt practices were of constant embarrassment to the people of the state and Nigerians who are familiar with his moral defficiency.
“The present administration is just settling down to find a way of settling seven-month unpaid salaries of civil servants, while contracts awarded in dubious circumstances are being corrected.”
The statement further added that according to reports in the Debt Management Office, made available on its websites, Fayose took the debt profiles of the State from N30 billion in December 31, 2014 to N117.6 billion in December 31, 2017.
It adds “This is a party that found it impossible to pay salaries of workers for eight months even when it was N18,000, now accusing a state governor of not paying N30,000 minimum wage, which its implementation has not commenced in any state in the country. Not even by the federal government!
“Pretending to care or love the people, the PDP, in the statement lamented that Dr. Fayemi should be shopping for funds to pay N30,000 minimum wage. This is rather ridiculous for a party notorious for being a legend in salaries indebtedness”.
Mr. Oluwalana, who doubled as the SSA (Party Matters) to the Ekiti State Governor, in the statement wondered while PDP is crying more than the bereaved.
He said “were they involved in the decision by Dr. Fayemi to pay outstanding salaries/allowances left behind by the PDP government?, were they involved in the decision that led Dr. Fayemi to pay the outstanding pension left behind by the PDP government? Did they force him to increase the pension allocation from N10 Million to 100 million Naira monthly.”
Continuing, the statement explained that during what it claimed was the PDP’s four year of waste, the former governor, whom it described as “inept and ignorant” of the workings of a government treated Ekiti people and its workers with scorn and indignity in a brazen manner.
“PDP lacks the moral justification and decency to now turn itself to an advocate of the masses, which they once abandoned and neglected.
“The Ekiti State 2019 budget, which is a total of N129.8billion does not in anywhere show travelling expenses of all workers as anywhere near hN1.2billion. Like their stock in trade, they are bandying around fictitious figures. They have only succeeded in proving themselves to be incurable stack illiterate and lazy gossips
“The people of Ekiti State have come to appreciate Dr. Fayemi as a trustworthy, prudent and dignified personality who sees himself as servant of the people unlike the former PDP governor, who lorded it over the people and treated them like the master of manor for his regrettable years in the saddle.
“It is as a result of his avowed dignity and high sense of responsibility that endeared him to his peers (fellow Governors) in the country that made them elect him as their Chairman.”
On the issue of SUBEB, the statement explained that the state lost over 2 billion Naira during the regime of Fayose due to his refusal to pay the counterpart funds for the project, but laundered 500 million Naira paid by Dr. Fayemi during his first term in office.
“Few days after his assumption of office as the State Governor, the same PDP claimed that Dr. Fayemi collected 31 Billion Naira as Paris Fund, now the figure has been lowered to 11 Billion Naira, just like they have lowered their political value in the estimation of the people of state with their latest ranting.
“Another claim that Dr. Fayemi increased his security votes to N250 Billion Naira can only be the imagination of a rabid thief who sees everyone in his image. Dr John Kayode Fayemi is not a thief like their leader who is facing multiple and endless court trials,” the statement added.
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