Aregbesola Gave Me His Salary to ontest Election- Elisha Abbo

Adamawa lawmaker, Senator Elisha Abbo Cliff, has disclosed that former governor of Osun state, Rauf Aregbesola, donated his one-month salary towards his election.

Abbo, who allegedly beat up a woman in a sex toy shop in Abuja recently, was speaking on the floor of the Senate when Aregbesola was being screened for a ministerial appointment.

According to him, when he contested the Local Government chairmanship election in Adamawa State in 2012, he visited the Government House in Osogbo and that the former governor gave him his whole month salary.

“In 2012, when I contested for LG chairman in Adamawa, I came to your house in Ikeja. You never knew me; you asked me to come to your office in Osogbo," the lawmaker said.

"You ushered me into your office where I explained my problem and you gave me the whole of your salary for that month to go to Adamawa and contest election.

"Today, through God's help, I am one of those confirming your nomination. My colleagues, please allow this detribalised Nigerian to take a bow and go.

While appreciating Aregbesola for the favour, Abbo urged President Muhammadu Buhari to give him a "big ministry" to oversee.

"I want to also use this opportunity to ask President Muhammadu Buhari to give you a very big ministry," he added.

In his remarks, Aregbesola said he got his large heart from the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.

He noted that his time as commissioner for works in Lagos provided him the needed experience to lead Osun state.

Aregbesola said he would move move for increased taxation against the rich in order to create more funds for the states.

Speaking further Aregbesola told the senate that that he never owed workers on Grade Level 1-7 a dime throughout his administration.

According to him, he ensured that civil servants on such level, which he said constituted 72 percent of the workforce, earned their salaries promptly contrary to believe that every civil servant was paid 50 percent.

“We ensured that between July 2015 and July 2018 that public servants on level one to seven and they constitute about 72 per cent in the state earned their full pay, contrary to the belief that every civil servant was paid 50 per cent.”

“Osun’s civil servant population is huge but it is top-heavy. Levels one to seven that constitute 72 per cent take N1 billion, while the fat cats who are less than 30 per cent take more than N2 billion.

“I never owed anyone on levels one to seven a dime because they wouldn’t be able to get by without their salaries,” he said.

He added: “Rumours of owed salaries in Osun during my tenure was due to mischief and ignorance. We came up with an approach that there is no month that any public official did not have a salary every month.”

Aregbesola, who was grilled as one of the ministerial nominees presented to the Senate for approval by President Muhammadu Buhari.