Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has replied former Governor Segun Oni for criticising his style of governance and calling him names during a radio interview.
Fayose accused the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress, of doublespeak, saying the ex-governor once spoke the ill of his successor and Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who he (Oni) is now friends with in the APC.
Fayose asked why Oni, whom he restored all his rights and privileges as a former governor of the state, would now be on the side of a man (Fayemi) who denied him same.
Oni had reportedly asked Fayose to explain to the people of the state how he came about the billions of naira the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission found in his bank accounts and frozen by the anti-graft agency.
Oni, while speaking on ‘Heart of the Matter,’ a live interview programme on Adaba 88.9FM, reportedly accused Fayose of playing games with the commonwealth of Ekiti people while hiding under the immunity clause the he (Fayose) enjoys.
The EFCC had frozen Fayose’s accounts with Zenith Bank and some of his associates after allegedly tracing N4.7bn from the Office of the National Security Adviser under Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) to them and those of two sons of a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro.
The anti-graft agency is specifically probing the governor for allegedly receiving N1.219bn out of the slush funds.
Among several other things, Oni said, “I cannot imagine where he got the money. Does he have an oil well? Anybody who cannot explain his wealth; that ‘I have this amount in this account and this is how I got it’ must be made to account for such funds.
“He is shouting about immunity; immunity from what; immunity to continue to steal? Let him address the issue of stealing. People may call it various names like embezzlement or what have you, but theft has no other name.”
But Fayose’s Special Adviser on Public Communications and New Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka, in a group post on Whatsapp on Saturday, replied Oni, saying people should disregard the claims by the ex-governor as he had once allegedly made similar attempts to discredit Fayemi.
Olayinka said, “I heard he (Oni) called Governor Fayose all kinds of names and I am not surprised Oga Segun Oni has been infected with the APC ‘double-mouthed syndrome.’
“I still remember Oga Segun Oni calling Dr. Kayode Fayemi a thief and saying that he will rot in jail. Oga Segun Oni even propelled us then to form pressure groups against Fayemi to expose his (Fayemi’s) looting of Ekiti State through various means, including printing and sharing of pamphlets.
“When Fayemi scrapped the University of Science and Technology, Ifaki-Ekiti, Oga Segun Oni was so bittered that he rained abuses on Fayemi. Oga Segun Oni called Fayemi a thief that should rot in jail; the same Fayemi and Oni are now friends politically.
“Fayemi too said Oga Segun Oni should be in jail for being Ekiti State governor illegally and went on to remove Oni’s pictures from the Governor’s Office. Fayemi insisted that Oni must not be addressed as former governor of Ekiti State and even stopped the Ifaki Day 2012 advert on EKTV and Ekiti Radio because Oni was addressed as former governor.”