FG withholding Paris club refund to starve Ekiti – Fayose

Warns INEC against using ‘Edo formula’ in Ekiti

Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, has accused the Federal Government of deliberately withholding the release of the Paris Club refund to states purposely to prevent Ekiti from using the money to pay arrears of workers’ salary before the July 14 governorship election.

Fayose also warned the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), against stopping the collation of elections results midway, as it was done during the governorship election in Edo State.

The governor, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, said Ekiti State and other states had been cleared to get the refund, but the FG refused to release it to the states because of Ekiti election as it did in Kogi.

The governor said, “if it is released to other states without the inclusion of Ekiti, people will suspect the FG of playing politics with it.  The FG used that tactics in Kogi to assist the APC candidate to win.

Read Also: Ekiti 2018: Fayose will be caged on election day, says Fayemi

“I am using this forum to inform Ekiti people that the FG is punishing and depriving them of their entitlement because of politics. The FG thinks that if I am not able to pay the four months salaries owed the workers, they will vote for APC.”Ekiti people are not fools, they know that the Fayemi administration plunged the state into debt. Fayemi left two months’ salary unpaid and N1.2bn is being deducted every month from Ekiti allocations to service the debt.

“So far, N35.34bn has been deducted from allocations coming to Ekiti to service debts owed by Fayemi administration.”If I have N35.34bn, I will not owe workers and I will be able to take care the needs of the people. Ekiti people are not fools and will not again accept APC. They know that the Fayemi administration is the cause of the unpaid salary.

“In 2003, during my first term, I inherited  debt from the AD – led government under Niyi Adebayo, I cleared the debt and when I was leaving the government in 2006, I left N10.4bn in government treasury. This is for you to know that APC is a bad manager of state finances.

“I want to appeal to the INEC to be a good umpire, live to its name as Independent body. Election should not be stopped midway or counting stopped midway because PDP is winning and APC is losing. Edo formula will not be accepted in Ekiti. People are known to resist cheating and they will defend their votes.”

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