PDP accuses Ekiti govt of property scam

The Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State says valuable assets and properties of the state are being hurriedly sold at cheap prices to chiefs of the All Progressives Congress and cronies of Governor Kayode Fayemi ahead of the swearing-in of the Governor-elect, Ayodele Fayose.

The party threatened to reverse all illicit sales made by the government when it assumes office on October 16, warning the beneficiaries to get prepared.
In a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, the state Publicity Secretary, Kola Oluwawole, accused some top officials of the state’s Housing Corporation and the Directorate of Lands and Planning of conniving with the government in the fraudulent sales.
It listed the affected properties to include pieces of land and houses at Irewolede Estate Phases I and II; as well as the Obasanjo Housing Estate, Ikere Road, Ado-Ekiti, and vehicles and state properties in Abuja and Lagos.
The PDP further noted that virtually all government vehicles both new and fairly used were being fraudulently auctioned at prices that could not be justified by any standard.
Oluwawole said, “Now, a plot of land at Irewolede Phase II and Obasanjo Estate is being sold to Fayemi’s cronies at a very ridiculous price of N200, 000, while the houses at Irewolede Phase I are being allocated to political appointees and Fayemi’s cronies at a give-away price of N6m instead of the N12m placed on the property.”
“The same black market sale is being carried out on government lands at the Obasanjo Housing Estate along Ikere-Ekiti Road built during Dr Ayo Fayose’s first term as governor of Ekiti State in 2005.”
“We are compelled to raise this alarm because the outgoing government has not hidden its vengeance mission since losing the June 21 governorship election to our candidate, Fayose, by choosing to pursue policies and actions that would be detrimental not only to the smooth take-off of the incoming PDP government, but to the development of the state as a whole.”
But the Commissioner for Information, Tayo Ekundayo, has debunked the allegations.
He said, “It is not true, they should show proof. I am not aware of such and if they are sure of their facts, they should wait till October 16 when they take over and revoke such properties.
“But I don’t think a sensible government would start selling properties of the state because it is leaving government. Such allegation is senseless and unsubstantiated and should not be taken seriously.”