Less than two weeks to the governorship election in Kogi State, governors elected under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have raised a whooping sum of N9.6 billion for what was termed “election day and other logistics.” The N9.6 billion, which was allegedly facilitated by the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, was said to have been moved to Lokoja in cash last Sunday, and now in the custody of the State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
The inside source confirmed to THE OBSERVERS TIMES that Fayemi have bluntly told his colleagues that only “see and buy” can ensure victory for the APC in the election and that “if it requires buying one vote for N10,000, it must be done.” It should be recalled that in an indirect way of releasing fund to Governor Yahaya Bello for the election, President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, October 15, 2019, sent a letter to the Senate, seeking its approval for the payment of N10 billion to Kogi State.
Buhari, in the letter, addressed to Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said the money would be used by the state government to settle local debts it incurred as a result of the projects executed on behalf of the Federal Government. Sources privy to the N9.6 billion raised by the APC governors disclosed that Governor Fayemi was on the neck of the governors for days before the money was raised.
One of the sources said Fayemi alone provided N1.8 billion while another northern governor, who is said to be working on the permutation of getting the APC Vice Presidential slot should Fayemi clinch the Presidential ticket contributed N2.2 billion. It should be recalled that Fayemi allegedly donated N1.5 billion to the APC Presidential Campaign in 2015. Meanwhile, some of the APC governors will meet this weekend to map out strategy for the Kogi and Bayelsa States elections.
The governors are particularly said to be uncomfortable with the reports from Kogi, a State they believed should naturally be retained by the APC and are said to have fixed the meeting for Saturday to perfect plans to “win the election by whatever means.”