EKITI: DSS Quizzes Aluko

Former Secretary of the Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretary, Dr. Temitope Aluko, has been answering questions from the Department of State Services (DSS) concerning his allegations of massive rigging of the 2014 governorship election in the state.

The first round of interrogation was conducted in Abuja on Friday with the second round due to follow tomorrow, The Nation gathered yesterday.

Aluko, speaking on Channels Television last week, alleged collusion between the PDP, Fayose and security officials in rigging the election.

Of note is the allegation that former President Goodluck Jonathan released $37million to Fayose for the prosecution of the election wich Fayose won, defeating the then incumbent Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

$2million of the sum was allegedly released for the PDP primaries which Fayose won conveniently and the balance of $35million for the election proper.

The former PDP scribe had earlier appeared before the Nigerian Army Board of Inquiry chaired by Maj.-Gen. Adeniyi Oyebade, which investigated the roles played by its officers and men where he gave evidence and tendered sensitive documents.

Aluko was grilled on Friday by the DSS on all he knew about the alleged compromise of the Ekiti governorship election.

A source as the DSS office in Abuja confirmed yesterday that Aluko tendered many documents, which would assist the security agency in its investigations especially on “issues bordering on state security.”

The source said an interactive conference has been scheduled for tomorrow during which Aluko will face a larger panel of investigators to shed more light on the issues surrounding the alleged compromise of the poll.

The source said: “Dr. Aluko was invited by the DSS High Command in Abuja to make clarifications on his allegations and give details on what transpired before, during and after poll.

“Dr. Aluko is now in the DSS custody and he is okay there as he sees this as his patriotic duty to the nation especially in his desire to let Nigerians know that the Ekiti governorship poll was neither free nor fair as the world was made to believe.

“There are so many issues to shed light on. His interrogators want him to dot the i’s and cross the t’s most especially issues bordering on state security about the Ekiti governorship election.

“After the preliminary interaction with Dr. Aluko, the DSS officials are planning an interactive conference with him on Monday which may involve a larger team of investigators.

“From the way things are going, Dr. Aluko may be the guest of DSS till Tuesday because the Monday’s interactive conference may last a whole day.

“The DSS officers were not hostile but they were very inquisitive asking so many questions with details.

“The federal government is monitoring the situation because it has gotten so many messages from the revelations of Dr. Aluko since the new broke.”

Meanwhile, a member of the seventh House of Representatives, Hon Bamidele Faparusi, has called on the federal government to try those who allegedly conspired with Fayose to rig the Ekiti governorship election.

Faparusi, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, described the revelations of the embattled Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Aluko as mind-boggling.

Speaking with reporters in Ado Ekiti yesterday, Faparusi said making those implicated in the alleged electoral malfeasance should face justice with a view to sanitizing the country’s electoral process.

Faparusi described the bench warrant issued against Aluko by a Magistrate court in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday as “rather preposterous and misdirected”.