Oyo: Fayose a disgrace, PDP group knocks ex-gov over alleged N50bn falsehood

A group within the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State (PDP), the Oyo PDP-Visionaries, has described a former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, as a disgrace to public service over what it called an attempt to mislead Nigerians with claims that Governor Seyi Makinde received N50bn from the Federal Government.

The group reacted on Sunday after Fayose circulated a document from the Federal Ministry of Finance, which he claimed showed that the Oyo State Government received N50bn as intervention funds following the January 2024 Bodija explosion in Ibadan.

According to the group, the document released by the former governor only showed a request made by the Oyo State Government and not an approval or disbursement, accusing Fayose of deliberately confusing the two to mislead the public.

An examination of the document indicated that it was a letter dated August 20, 2024, issued by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and addressed to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

Titled “Requests for Special Intervention Funds,” the letter stated that various state governments submitted requests amounting to N915.5bn, as contained in an attached schedule.

The letter further explained that due to the very low cash position of the Special Accounts, the requests could not be fully met, noting that while N450.7bn had been disbursed to some states, an outstanding balance of N464.7bn remained.

In the schedule attached to the letter, Oyo State was listed as requesting N50bn for “intervention funding support for the reconstruction of Old Bodija and environs after the Bodija explosion.”

However, the document did not indicate that the N50bn requested by Oyo State was approved or released.

Reacting to the development, the Oyo PDP-Visionaries, in a statement signed by its Coordinator, Qudus Olayide, accused Fayose of attempting to justify what it described as a false claim by presenting a request letter as evidence of payment.

The group said it was shameful and disturbing that a former governor would allegedly misrepresent an official document to discredit Governor Makinde.

“A request is not an approval. Mr Fayose should publish the letter showing the actual approval and disbursement if it exists,” the statement said, adding that Nigerians could clearly distinguish between a request and an approval.

The PDP faction also questioned Fayose’s credibility, urging him to back off the matter, while hailing Makinde as a transparent and people-centred leader who had remained above board in the handling of public funds.