The Peoples Democratic Party in the Southwest and the governing All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State on Wednesday differed over the opposition party’s call for a probe into the state airport project executed by former Governor Kayode Fayemi.
PDP Southwest Publicity Secretary, Chief Sanya Atofarati, in a press statement in Ado Ekiti, queried why Governor Biodun Oyebanji had refused to probe his predecessor, Fayemi, over the N20bn allegedly committed into the alleged “failed project” and gave the governor 14 days within which “to swing into action or risk facing the wrath of the people”.
The PDP, which said Oyebanji, being Secretary to the State Government during the immediate past administration of Fayemi, should exonerate himself by commencing the probe urgently, also called on anti-graft agencies, especially the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission “to swing into action and probe the project”.
Atofarati said, “We are unapologetic in our demand for the probe of the failed airport project. It is on record that the incumbent governor was the SSG under the Fayemi administration. He should be able to explain to the people of Ekiti State what happened to their N20b.
“The airport project, as reported in the media, cost taxpayers a whopping sum of N20b. This money could have been infused into agriculture to improve productivity, create cottage industries, add value to education, improve healthcare and other sustainable projects that would have had a direct impact on the economy of the state”.
But the state Publicity Secretary, All Progressives Congress, Segun Dipe, said that the money for the airport was judiciously used and in the interest of the development of the state, saying there was nothing to probe about the project.
Dipe queried PDP what Oyebanji would be probing in Fayemi and the airport project, saying, “How can the governor probe money that we believe was rightly utilized? What will he be accusing or probing the former governor for?
“If the PDP people are asking the EFCC to probe, I believe the allegations have long gone to the EFCC for probe. I strongly believe that EFCC found the allegations spurious and non-existing.
“The thing is – was the money used for the way the government wanted it used, yes. Was the money for the airport better used by our own calculation, yes. Will the airport be for the better use of Ekiti State people – yes.
“Every airport worldwide is subject to improvement and we will continue to work on it. We have started it, we cannot collapse or stop it and we cannot divert the money that has been used for the airport for another purpose. The PDP should rather wait forever till their time when they will have better things to use the money for,” the APC spokesperson said.
Source: The Punch
