Aluko resurfaces, joins Obanikoro to implicate Fayose

More revelations are coming to light about how Senator Musiliu Obanikoro allegedly gave huge amounts of money to Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose to prosecute his (Fayose’s) election.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, may have finally succeeded in nailing Fayose over funds he allegedly received from Obanikoro, a former Minister of State for Defence.

This is as the former Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ekiti State, Dr. Tope Aluko, has confirmed to the EFCC, how the governor received $5.377 million from Obanikoro for his election in 2014.

According to Aluko, who has been having a running battle with Fayose, Obanikoro brought the money to Fayose’s Spotless Hotel in Ado Ekiti in a green Army trunk and handed it over in the presence of nine PDP leaders.

He further told EFCC interrogators that those present at the collection by Fayose were a former Secretary to the State Government, a senator, two members of the House of Assembly and a former Director-General among others.

According to an EFCC source, Aluko stated this when he was quizzed by the EFCC, adding that Obanikoro handed Fayose the key to the box containing the money and the two men went inside an inner room for a brief discussion.

Read also: NBA wants accused judges to step aside until after investigation

The source further qoutted Aluko as saying: “The ex-minister brought the $5.377 million cash to Spotless Hotel for Fayose in a green military trunk. He was accompanied by four military men.

“Obanikoro handed over the trunk and a key to Fayose in the presence of nine eminent PDP elders in the state.

“Holding a piece of paper, Obanikoro later entered into an inner room in the hotel for a brief discussion with Fayose. Maybe the paper was for Fayose to acknowledge the receipt of the cash.

“Upon coming out, Fayose opened the trunk with the key and we all saw it was filled with dollars. We had a list of how we wanted to use the money but we had not expended the Naira cash at hand.

“Fayose, who asked me to call other PDP leaders, later took the trunk to his room at the hotel for safe keeping. That was the last we heard about the cash.”

It would be recalled that Obanikoro, who was earlier declared wanted by the EFCC, returned to the country unannounced and proceeded to the EFCC, which held on to him since Monday.

Fayose has however denied Obanikoro’s account, saying his return was dramatic and compromised, adding that it was arranged by those wanting to implicate him at all cost.

Tope Aluko had also caused a stir sometime ago when he fell out with Fayose and regaled the world with narratives of how his party allegedly rigged Fayose into power as governor of the state.
He was later said to have apologised and reconciled with Fayose, only for him to again allege that he was ambushed and set up by Fayose for media men to give such impression.

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews…

RipplesNigeria …without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now