FORMER minister of state for defence Senator Musiliu Obanikoro has confessed to having given Ekiti State governor Ayo Fayose a sum of N2.3bn (£6m) in the run-up to the states governorship elections which took place in 2014.
Senator Obanikoro has been indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for receiving money meant for arms purchases through the office of the national security adviser Col Sambo Dasuki. Two years ago, Senator Obanikoro was alleged to have been the mastermind behind a plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rig the Ekiti State gubernatorial elections in favour of Governor Ayo Fayose.
Eventually, the PDP won the polls but it was alleged that the party used the Nigerian Army to harass political opponents and prevent the elections from being conducted in a free and fair manner. Senator Obanikoro has denied the allegations and following the PDP's loss at the polls in 2015 presidential elections, he fled to the US.
This week, however, Senator Obanikoro returned to Nigeria and handed himself over to the EFCC, who have detained him for questioning. Under interrogation, Senator Obanikoro was said to have also told operatives that N60m of the money he handed over was converted into dollars at a rate of N168 per dollar and given to Governor Fayose.
He told EFCC operatives who interrogated him yesterday, that he personally handed over N5,357,357 to the governor on an occasion. The former minister was said to have told his interrogators that while he had no interaction with the officials of the bank, he called Governor Fayose to get his consent to handing over the money.
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