Over the weekend, Dr Aluko claimed that Dr Jonathan handed Governor Fayose the cash to enable him in two tranches, one of $35 and another of $2m, to fund his June 2014 gubernatorial bid. According to Dr Aluko, the money was used to defeat the then governor Dr Kayode Fayemi, who was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dr Aluko, who said he was part of the team that prosecuted the election, added that he was the chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee for the Fayose Campaign Organisation. He explained that he handled the waiver Governor Fayose got from the PDP at the national level to enable him to qualify to take part in the governorship primary.
To buttress the roles he played in the emergence of Governor Fayose, Dr Aluko said he delivered the congresses that produced him and was also the governor’s principal witness at the Election Petitions Tribunal. He said Dr Jonathan initially gave Governor Fayose $2m in March 2014 for the primary election, pointing out that this money was collected at the NNPC Towers, Abuja.
Dr Aluko added: “It was about $35m, which is about N4.7bn, that he gave us for the real election and for the primaries. I have details of all I am saying and I was present when they brought the money as it was Senator Musiliu Obanikoro that brought the $35m, which he delivered to Fayose at Spotless Hotel.
“I can name eight people that were there. We were all there because he said he would want us to take delivery so that there will be transparency and accountability."
According to Dr Aluko, the $35m was taken to a bureau de change in Onitsha where it was converted to N4.7bn. However, Governor Fayose has dismissed the claims, saying he would not take issue with Dr Aluko because the man was bitter.
He, however, did not deny that the former president gave him the amount being alleged by his accuser. Governor Fayose’s spokesman Lere Olayinka, added that Dr Aluko was already beclouded by his desperation to seek revenge because of the governor’s refusal to make him his chief of staff.
Mr Olayinka said: “As per his claim that $37m was given to the governor for the election, the governor got financial support from various sources as it is usual of anyone contesting election and it is not for us to begin to advertise in the media the level of support the governor received from individuals, corporate organisations or groups. However, if money belonging to the APC is missing and they suspect that the money was stolen by Dr Goodluck Jonathan to fund Ekiti State governorship election, they can approach the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.”
He added that for Dr Aluko to be taken seriously, he must first have to report himself to the police to be tried for perjury and committed to prison for three years, since what he is now saying is different from what he said under oath at the election tribunal, being the only witness called by the PDP and Governor Fayose. Mt Olayinka said that if after giving evidence under oath at the tribunal that the election was free, fair and credible and that security agents, including soldiers, performed their duties creditably well, saying something else more than one year after is admittance by Dr Aluko himself that he is not a stable character.
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