APC BATTLES PDP IN EKITI: APC, PDP disagree over Fayose’s assets

The All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State have disagreed over Governor Ayo Fayose not having declared his assets. While the APC asked Fayose, who was elected in June on the platform of the PDP, to emulate the previous governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of the APC; the PDP argued that Fayemi needed to account for the alleged debt accrued to the state. The APC Chairman in Ekiti, Jide Awe, said, “He who must come to equity must come with clean hands. The governor of a state must declare his assets. In fact, it is a constitutional provision. He (Fayose) must declare his assets and let people know what he was, what he is and what he will be by the time he is leaving office. “It is part of the code of conduct provisions of the constitution. He ought to have declared his assets. His predecessor and the former deputy governor did it. He should declare his assets; he has no moral right at all not to do so.” According to the APC chairman, if Ekiti has been stigmatised as the “stomach infrastructure state, so be it. “At the end of the day, however, the people would realise the importance of social infrastructural facilities in the state. “The people get the type of leadership they deserve. As of today, I learnt on good authority that Fayose is now sleeping in the Government House, which has been much criticised and because of which Fayemi has been much vilified. If we use all our money for stomach infrastructure, may God help the people of Ekiti State,” the APC leader said. But the PDP Chairman in the state, Idowu Faleye, denied the allegation, saying Fayemi had to give account for the expenses on the official residence of the governor before Fayose would move in. Faleye said, “Fayose has never moved into the Government House. He is still staying in his house and he said he would not move into that place until he knew how much had been spent to furnish it. I can assure you he has not moved into the Government House and he is still in his own residence. “If Fayemi has declared his own assets, he should say so publicly. All the money he received should be accounted for. He should also declare his assets after his tenure in office. “The normal practice is that when a governor comes in and after his exit, he must be able to declare all his assets and give account of how much has been spent from the allocation.” The PDP chairman, while describing the APC’s statement as uncalled for and embarrassing, alleged that the state was in N80bn in debt and that the Ekiti people found it unacceptable. Faleye added that the APC had no moral justification to say anyone should declare his assets, because, according to him, they had no clean record in the state.