Former Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State and erstwhile Gov. Ayodele Fayose’s political ally and strategist, Dr. Temitope Aluko, recently disclosed that his former boss and Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose and the former Minister of State (Defence) Musiliu Obanikoro, clashed over the huge cash deployed for the June 21, 2014 governorship poll in the state.
Aluko, now at loggerheads with Gov. Fayose, made the revelation during a live interview programme aired on a private radio station, ADABA 88.9 FM in Akure, the Ondo State Capital.
According to the former PDP topshot, Fayose and Obanikoro clashed over the money, originally meant for purchase of arms to fight Boko Haram insurgency but was converted to ‘election money’ by the government of Fmr. President Jonathan , when a crisis of confidence broke out between Fayose and Obanikoro following discovery that there was a shortfall of N80 million in the money ferried by plane to Akure for the governorship election.
Aluko confessed that: “The Presidency gave us security and money, the money was sent from a Diamond Bank branch through an account run by Sylvan MacNamara, a company owned by Obanikoro.
“My boss (Fayose) insisted he wanted to get his own in cash and that was why arrangement was made to get his own in cash and that was why such a huge amount (N2.1 billion) was ferried by plane. Obanikoro cannot claim not to have brought the money.
“He (Fayose) chose his man, Abiodun Agbele, to keep the money in a Zenith Bank account and the money was lodged at Zenith Bank, Alagbaka Branch in Akure.
The transaction was not recorded and it got to a stage when it was discovered that the money was short by N80 million.
“This caused a crisis between Fayose and Obanikoro who brought money thrice from Abuja. He (Obanikoro) brought other things apart from money which I won’t disclose now and it was from it that N1 billion was released to INEC officials to manipulate Ekiti and Osun polls. He stated.
