The embattled Secretary of the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Temitope Aluko, has alleged that Senator Musiliu Obanikoro brought $35 million cash from former President Goodluck Jonathan to Governor Ayo Fayose for his election.
Aluko made the allegation in Abuja on Sunday when he spoke with newsmen.
He equally said before the governorship primaries of the PDP in Ekiti State, Fayose collected another $2 million. making the total money he received from Jonathan to prosecute the June 21, 2014 governorship election in the state $37 million.
Aluko said the money was effectively used to defeat the then Governor of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress.
He said he was part of the team that prosecuted the election and also added that he was the chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee for the campaign.
He said Jonathan initially gave Fayose $2 million in March 2014 for the primary election and that this money was collected at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Towers in Abuja.
Aluko said: “It was about $35 million dollars, which is about N4.7 billion, he gave us for the real election.
“And for the primaries, he released $2 million to Fayose.
“I have details for all I am saying and I was present when they brought the money and it was Senator Musiliu Obanikoro that brought the money, the $35 million, which he delivered to Fayose at Spotless Hotel.
“I can name eight people that were there.
“We were all there because he said he will want us to take delivery so that there will be transparency and accountability.”
Aluko, who was the Chief Returning Officer and signed the results for the election, said he was forced to come forward with the revelations because Fayose betrayed him and derailed from the original plan they had for the development of the state.
Aluko had also testified in camera before the military panel that investigated the role of the military in the Ekiti 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.”
Aluko, further alleged that Fayose received about N3 billion cash from Senator Buruji Kashamu in 2013 to revive the PDP in Ekiti State.
The Ekiti PDP scribe also gave account of how the military was used to win the election.
He said: “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, Lieutenant General 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 (as Commander-In-Chief) in terms of providing security for the election.”
Aluko said based on Jonathan’s directive, Fayose approached the former Commander of the Army Brigade in Akure, Brigadier General Dikko to take charge of the election for the PDP, adding: “But General Dikko did not give us audience.
“He stated bluntly that he would not be available for such operation.
“So Fayose sponsored a petition against him, which led to his replacement with Brigadier General Aliyu Momoh who was amenable to our plans.”
Aluko said 64 PDP stalwarts were picked to give 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, adding: “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 Senator Andy Uba.
“In addition, we raised 44 special strike teams brought in Toyota Hilux buses from Abuja and Onistah.
“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.
“A day to the election, we used the military to block all routes in the local governments and prevented APC chieftains, including former Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, from coming into Ekiti.
“So we ensured that no APC chieftain was insight on election.
“We provided polling agents for the APC in most of the polling units so we had no problem getting them to sign election results in the units.
“All these local and foreign observers that described the election free and fair only witnessed the voting exercise on election day without knowing what transpired before the voting.
“Before the election, Fayose, Femi Bamishile and I jointly swore with the Holy Bible on a sharing formula after we must have won the election.
“We agreed that Fayose would be governor, Bamishile his deputy and I Chief of Staff.
“But the moment he got into office, Fayose reneged on the agreement and left me in the lurch.
“More worrisome is the fact that Fayose has derailed from the original Ekiti project we envisaged.”
