Ekiti APC, PDP spar over COVID-19 funds

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have disagreed over the spending of coronavirus funds which Ekiti State government received to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic.

The PDP in a statement, on Wednesday, said the Ekiti government is not prudent with ‘over N3 billion’ gotten from the federal government, World Bank and donations from the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) to address the economic hardship occasioned by the pandemic.

The party, in a statement by the state publicity secretary, Raphael Adeyanju, said residents need to know how the funds were spent in view of high level of poverty in the state.

“The people of Ekiti State deserve to know what happened to the fund since there is no evidence to show that it was spent on anything”.

PDP disclosed that Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello, has helped to expose other state governments.

“Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State openly admitted that his State received N1 billion as COVID-19 fund from the Federal Government and that N1.1 billion grant was provided by the World Bank. He went on to say that it was only Kogi State that refused to sign MoU accepting the World Bank document N1.1 bilion grant, meaning that other States, including Ekiti got the N1.1 billion from the World Bank.

“Also, over N1 billion was donated to Ekiti State by private individuals and corporate organisations, making over N3 billion that the State got for COVID-19. Our question is, where is the money?”.

The opposition party also alleged that the state government did not distribute the palliatives supplied by CACOVID to citizens.

PDP only frustrated – APC

In a reaction to PDP’s allegations, the APC in a counter statement signed by its publicity secretary, Ade Ajayi, in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, said that PDP members in the state are merely frustrated, idle and responsible for looting palliatives.

“With the arrest and arraignment of some hoodlums, who turned out to be PDP members by the police in connection with massive destruction and looting of warehouses in the state last week, faces of those behind the recent terror unleashed on the hapless Ekiti citizens are being unveiled by security agents”

“Isn’t it shameful that a party that produced an administration that couldn’t account for billions of Naira meant for budget support, bailouts and other funds it received is now turning around to accuse a prudent government that carries along with the people in its day to day activities, of misappropriation? Let them tell Ekiti people where they hid those monies.”

“Their false and unsubstantiated assertions that palliatives are stored in Government house is a ploy to incite the people to attack the seat of government. They are not happy with the serene peace being enjoyed by the people of the state and want to create confusion.”

“PDP members and those who are bent on causing more confusion in the state should shelve their devilish plan or else they face dire consequences as security agents are more at alert to deal with trouble makers”, APC reacted.