The Osun State chapter of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has leveled accusations against Governor Ademola Adeleke, alleging the allocation of contracts worth billions of naira to his relatives, specifically his brother, Dr. Deji Adeleke, and his nephew, David Adeleke, known as ‘Davido’.
The APC claims that Adeleke has transformed the state’s governance into a family business, disregarding principles of transparency and accountability.
They further assert that the governor has engaged inactive and inexperienced companies for state projects.
Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, the Chairman of the APC in Osun State, voiced these concerns during a press conference in Osogbo, urging anti-graft agencies to intervene and halt what they termed as “reckless mismanagement of public funds” under Adeleke’s administration.
In response, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), represented by its Chairman, Hon. Sunday Bisi, refuted the allegations, describing them as baseless.
Bisi defended the Adeleke family’s reputation, highlighting their established business ventures both nationally and internationally.
He criticized the APC for what he termed an attempt to tarnish the Adeleke family’s image and emphasized that Dr. Deji Adeleke and David Adeleke (Davido) are legitimate businessmen in their own right.
He said, ” It is in public knowledge that the Adeleke family are enterprising, with several known businesses in Nigeria and abroad. The Osun APC should stop seeing the Adeleke family in the image of that of the former governor whose members of family have no known source of engagement outside government, cornering almost everything to themselves including printing jobs at the secretariat while it was at the helm.”
“We understand the perilous situation of the Osun APC but we expect them to at least be reasonable in the quest to manufacture lies. Dr. Deji Adeleke is a renowned businessman with a series of successful ventures and has no reason whatsoever to be hiding behind anyone to engage in a legitimate business. ”
“We take the reckless accusation of the Osun APC as a failed strategy to drag the serial investor into their shameless rhetoric and we enjoin the public to totally discountenance this irresponsible blackmail attempt by the feckless opposition in Osun state.”
“The same thing goes for Mr. David Adeleke, a thriving musician but which the Osun APC is trying to smear with lies and reckless assumptions.”
But the APC in a press conference addressed by Mr Jamiu Olawumi, the immediate past Senior adviser to the Immediate past governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola while noting that, Adeleke has violated the 2015 Public Procurement Law, said companies founded by the incumbent Deputy Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr Akinyode Abidemi were also awarded contracts.
Lawal called for the resignation of the deputy speaker, saying that he had abused his office and needed to be investigated by the anti-graft agency.
The statement said, “To state that Governor Adeleke has converted the running of the state into his extended family enterprise where probity, accountability and openness are not required cannot be an overstatement as events have shown that the kick-and-start governor has taken misgovernance to the next pitiable level.
“Tongues are currently wagging in Osun State that the billionaire brother of Governor Adeleke, Dr Deji Adeleke and his son, Mr David Adeleke a.k.a. ‘Davido’ are interested parties in the touted multi-billion naira road and flyover projects using inactive and inexperienced companies to front for them.
The financial injection through the supposed infrastructure is being circumvented and cornered by the Adeleke family using the business names of Dr Deji Adeleke and the juvenile lawmaker from Ife North State constituency of Osun State.
“It is bizarre that two companies founded by the incumbent Deputy Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr Akinyode Abidemi Oyewusi, were recently awarded road construction contracts by the Government of Osun State.”
The APC, however, remained steadfast in its accusations, with Mr. Jamiu Olawumi, a former Senior Adviser to the immediate past governor, Gboyega Oyetola, joining the discourse. Olawumi accused Adeleke of violating procurement laws and alleged that companies associated with the Deputy Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Akinyode Abidemi, were also awarded contracts. The APC demanded the resignation of the deputy speaker and called for investigations by anti-corruption agencies.
In response to the APC’s claims, the PDP reiterated its stance, denying any wrongdoing by the state government and reaffirming its commitment to adhering to the law and effectively utilizing state resources for development purposes.
The PDP also criticised the previous APC administration for its alleged mismanagement of state finances and failure to address citizens’ welfare needs.
The exchange of accusations continued, with both parties presenting divergent views on the state’s financial management and governance. While the APC accused the Adeleke administration of nepotism and financial impropriety, the PDP defended its actions, portraying Governor Adeleke as transparent and committed to the welfare of the people.
Amidst the political bickering, the people of Osun State found themselves caught in the midst of conflicting narratives, with each party vying to assert its version of the truth.
