The Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu on Saturday declared that contrary to insinuation that he was rich as a Minister under President Muhammadu Buhari, he could not afford to pay the N22.5m All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial forms.
Shittu, who insisted that there was no way he could afford to pay the gubernatorial nomination and expression of interest forms of the ruling APC pegged at N22.5m, added that he could not purchase the forms until those who believed in him came to his aid to buy the forms.
The APC chieftain, who is a gubernatorial aspirant under APC in Oyo state, made these revelations while speaking with journalists in Ibadan, the state capital, on Saturday.
Shittu, while responding to a question on the exorbitant fees charged by the party, said he was a poor man and there was no way he could pay such a ‘huge money’.
Shittu who purchased the forms through two of his aides, Saheed Oladele, Head of Adebayo Shittu Strategy Committee and Malik Aderogba, Head of Special Tasks for Adebayo Shittu’s Campaign Organization penultimate Monday said that he can’t have such money to buy the forms.
He said, “It is inconceivable that I can have such money to buy the nomination form.
“Those very close to me knew this fact. That I cannot on my own put down N22.5million. As a minister under President Muhammadu Buhari, there was no way I could pay such money. This is not a PDP government and you cant have money like those under the PDP. I earn less than a million naira a month and there are people who depend on me for survival”.
The minister insisted that it was those people who believed in him that bought the forms for him.
He added, “It was those who believe that the best thing to happen to Oyo State is for Adebayo Shittu to become Governor that paid for the form. I thank God for the opportunities I have had in life and the greatest being the Minister.”
Shittu, while speaking on the next Saturday’s gubernatorial primary election in the state, declared that all registered members of the APC in the state would vote.
He insisted on the direct primary option and appealed to all the party members to prepare head on for it on Saturday.
He added that, “I never pretended I did service. For me, and undoubtedly too, serving in the Oyo State House of Assembly at the time was on a higher service to my fatherland. And the matter was taken to the court and it was thrown out. Late Chief Bola Ige was my counsel then.”
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