EKITI State All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticised Governor Ayo Fayose for his crack down on some banks.
The party said such an action constitutes a threat to the economic survival of the Fountain of Knowledge.
It described the governor’s action as “a wrong signal to the investing community and a recipe for job losses among workers in the bank, majority of who are Ekiti indigenes.”
Fayose, last week, severed business relationships with Zenith Bank by ordering Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), non-ministerial agencies, government-owned tertiary institutions and workers to move their accounts from the bank within 48 hours.
The action is believed to be in retaliation for the freezing of his personal bank accounts in Zenith, and the bank’s denial of sponsoring his campaign in the 2014 governorship election.
The APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, in a statement yesterday said it was wrong for Fayose to drag government agencies into his private affairs, which have no bearing with state matters.
He said a similar action had forced a sister bank to close its operations in the state.
The party spokesman noted that Ekiti was seriously economically challenged and cannot afford a confrontation with banks and other investors at this critical period.
Olatunbosun berated the governor for tying his personal fate to the fate of 2.5 million citizens.
Olatunbosun said: “Governor Fayose has personalised Ekiti State to the extent that whoever offends him offends the state and her people, which is dangerous to the economic survival of both the state and her people.
“Last time, he ordered all government’s agencies and workers to move their accounts from Ecobank simply because the bank refused to surrender the cash for its Community Social Responsibility projects to the governor when the bank insisted that it would carry out the projects like is the practice in other states of the federation.
“For this reason, the governor took offence, destroyed the culvert at the entrance of the bank and ordered government offices and workers to move their accounts from the bank, thereby forcing the bank’s closure in the state with Ekiti indigenes working in the bank losing their jobs.
“This time, because Zenith Bank washed its hands off election sponsorship fraud through which Fayose assumed power; he is fighting back by severing relationship with the bank by ordering all government offices and workers to move their accounts from the bank.
“As expected, Zenith Bank will close shop with attendant job losses among Ekiti indigenes working there, including sending wrong signals to the investing community that Ekiti is under a siege of a reckless and maximum governor that promotes anti-investment policies.”
THE NATION
