TheCable

Temitope Aluko, secretary of the Ekiti state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made startling revelations about the last governorship election in the state.

Aluko, who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, alleged that former President Goodluck Jonathan released $37 million to Ayo Fayose, governor of the state, who trounced then incumbent Kayode Fayemi in the poll.

He said Musiliu Obanikoro, former minister of state for defence, was the one who brought the money.

Aluko also said Jonathan summoned top military officers, including Alex Badeh, former chief of defence staff, to the presidential villa for a meeting on the election.

He explained that he decided to open up on the whole issue because Fayose betrayed him.

“Former President Goodluck Jonathan gave Governor Ayo Fayose $2 million in March 2014 for the primary election,” he said.

“Immediately after the primary election, we collected another $35 million from Jonathan on June 17, 2014. The money was brought to us by the former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro.

“We all assembled at the front office of Spotless Hotel, Ado Ekiti, owned by Fayose. Thereafter, the cash was taken to a Bureau De Change in Onitsha where it was converted to N4.7 billion.

“The former president agreed with Fayose and summoned a security meeting at the presidential villa for the purpose of the election.

“Those at the meeting were the former chief of defence staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh; then Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen. Kenneth Minimmah; and former National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.

“Others included Fayose, Senator Iyiola Omisore, then Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan and Obanikoro.

“At that meeting, the former president made it clear to the ex-Chief of Defence Staff that Fayose would stand for him in terms of providing security for the election.

“They gave detailed information regarding names and locations of opposition members in all the local governments, the various routes, areas of strength and weaknesses of the PDP in the 16 local governments.

“Today, most of these 64 hatchet men are members of the senate, house of representatives, state house of assembly, commissioners, local government chairmen, special advisers and the rest.

“We went into the election with 1,040 recognised soldiers and another batch of 400 unrecognised soldiers brought from Enugu by Sen. Andy Uba.

“In addition, we raised 44 special strike teams brought in Toyota Hilux buses from Abuja and Onitsha. We made special stickers for the vehicles that conveyed members of the strike team and black hand bands for each of them.

“Each strike team was made up of 10 members headed by a soldier and comprising soldiers, policemen, DSS operatives and Civil Defence corps. They were detailed to attack and arrest prominent APC chieftains in all the local governments.

“We set up anchorage, mainly residential houses, in every local government where the strike team members collected their welfare and other allowances.

“To encourage the strike team members, we gave them orders to share money and other valuables they could lay their hands on in the houses of APC chieftains they raided.

“Then we set up detention camps, mainly in primary schools where most of the APC chieftains were detained. Others were detained in police stations where the DPOs were friendly with us. We let them off after the election was over.”