The attempt by the Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi to shift the blame of his new tax policies on the former governor, Segun Oni has been described as preposterous and ignominious.
This was contained in a statement made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti during the weekend by the Director of Media and Publicity, Segun Oni Movements, Jackson Adebayo.
Adebayo stated that the movement was aware of a move by the ruling All Progressives Congress government to join Segun Oni in adducing the reasons for imposing additional tax on the people of the state in the name of Ekiti State Land Use Charge, which is being protested by the masses.
The State Government had recently started implementation of Land Use Charge, where all landlords will pay certain amounts on the landed property on yearly basis to buoy the revenue of the state .
The land use charge covers all residential and commercial property owned in Ado Ekiti metropolis and Ikere Ekiti, which are the commercial hubs of the state.
He accused the government of deliberately imposing this draconian tax on the people of the state to mop up money for the forthcoming governorship election in the state but met wide protest from house owners who have been overtaxed already with or without any commensurable incomes.
According to the movement, in an attempt to ringle out of the protest the government decided to blackmail the then Segun Oni government of initiating the policy before he was removed.
Adebayo maintained that the APC government is becoming jittery as they are meeting brick walls in selling their candidates to the people of the state hence their desperation to blackmail Oni whom they consider to be their major problem in the race.
“We want to state categorically that at no time did Oni ever contemplated imposing any additional tax during his tenure talk less of such an unbearable tax like this,” he said.
