PDP Accuses FG of Shortchanging Ekiti with $20m Paris Club Refunds

Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused the All Progressives Congress-led federal government of deliberately shortchanging the state government in the Paris Club refunds to the tune of $20 million .

The party said the alleged shortchanging was caused by the APC governorship candidate in the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to hinder the state government from meeting its obligations and portray it in bad light.

The party, in a statement by the State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jackson Adebayo, in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said going by documents from the Nigerian Governors' Forum, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Finance, Ekiti State was due to get $69 million as the remaining part of the refunds, but that had been reduced to $49 million.

"We have it on good authority that the $20 million removed would be part of the funds to be used by the APC and Fayemi for the coming July 14 governorship election in the state. One wonders why the discrepancy in the figures. The consultant employed by the NGF came out with the initial figure and for no reason, the new figure we are hearing is being touted as the dues of the state," he said.

Adebayo, therefore, challenged the APC-led federal government to come out and declare what remained for Ekiti State to get from the Paris Club refunds.

The party equally demanded explanation from the Presidency on how it was only Ekiti State's refunds that suffered arbitrary cut after the submission of the Governors' Forum consultant of the aggregate refunds due to all states of the federation.

Adebayo stated that due to the fear that the expected donors to the campaign fund of Fayemi might not be forthcoming as the election gets closer, the federal government had surreptitiously mutilated the documents bearing the exact figures due to the state and diverted the campaign funds in an attempt to foist Fayemi on Ekiti State.

According to the PDP spokesman, "this is the reason behind the statement made by Fayemi that he would make use of logistics to win the governorship election come 14th July.

"The permutation in the Presidency is that if the Paris Club refunds get to Ekiti State before the election, it will be used to settle arrears of salary owed workers which will eventually be an added advantage for the PDP to actualise landslide victory as it recorded in 2014 when Fayemi was defeated in all the 16 local government areas of the state.

"It's just unfortunate that the APC-led federal government could descend to this wicked antics against the workers of Ekiti State just because of an election which would eventually be lost by the APC candidate.