Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has released documents he claims support his allegation that Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, received N50 billion from the Federal Government as an intervention package following the January 2024 Ibadan explosion.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Fayose made the documents public alongside a memo purportedly from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. He said the disclosure followed Governor Makinde’s public challenge demanding evidence after Fayose earlier made the allegation on national television.
“Two days ago, I stated on national television that Oyo State under Governor Seyi Makinde received N50bn from the Federal Government as intervention for the Ibadan explosion. Yesterday, the governor asked me to provide evidence, and here is the evidence he requested,” Fayose said.
The former Ekiti governor accused the Oyo State government of failing to judiciously apply the funds, alleging that only a small portion was paid to those affected by the disaster.
“Only N4.5bn was paid to victims of the Ibadan explosion. The rest, alongside other intervention funds, was diverted to fund his presidential ambition. This, in part, explains the crisis in the PDP and his frequent attacks on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration,” he alleged.
Fayose said his decision to release the documents was driven by the need for transparency, even though he ordinarily avoids making official government records public.
“Even though it is not in my character to go public with official government documents, I had to do this so Nigerians will know who is saying the truth and who has not been sincere with the people of Oyo State,” he said.
Fayose Defends Claims, Warns of More Evidence
He further claimed that Governor Makinde’s alleged references to details of a private meeting with President Tinubu compelled him to disclose additional information to the public.
Fayose also challenged the Oyo State governor to seek legal redress if he believed the allegations were false, insisting he was ready to defend his claims with documentary evidence.
“I challenge Governor Seyi Makinde to sue me on this. There are also proofs of other intervention funds received from Tinubu’s administration by the Oyo State Government which the governor refused to disclose to the people,” he said.
Additionally, Fayose alleged that he is in possession of documents that contradict the state government’s publicly stated figures on internally generated revenue, noting that he may make them public at a later time.
“There are documentary evidences on the actual Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Oyo State, as against Governor Makinde’s claim, but we will keep our gunpowder dry for now.
“My name is still Ayo Fayose. I don’t say what I can’t prove,” he said.
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