Osun APC, PDP In War Of Words Over State Finance

Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of running the state finance into bankruptcy in his 10 months in office.

It would be recalled that Governor Adeleke took over the state government from former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola in November 27, 2022.

According to the Osun APC State chairman , Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement signed on Tuesday said Governor Adeleke who has run the state aground has been running from pillar to post in order to find a solution to the state’s current financial quagmire without luck.

In Lawal’s words: “What went wrong with Governor Adeleke who promised during the governorship campaign that he was having foreign currencies in abundance?

“Could it be that Adeleke’s calendar is quite different from the one in the public domain which indicates that he exhausted 10 months of his statutory 48 months lifeline?

“In all ramifications, the Adeleke administration is a monumental failure being run by a rudderless and visionless leader motivated only by the glamour and peck of office of the governor.

“If Adeleke does not lack empathy, there is no reason under the sun why he should still be keeping the Federal Government N2 billion fuel subsidy removal palliative since two months running when other states which are lucky to have caring governments have started to benefit from the largesse.

“Could it be that Adeleke and his cronies have squandered the N2 billion Federal Government fuel subsidy removal palliative or they are earnestly waiting to line their pockets with the accrued interest in the bank?

“It is saddening that when some states have been complementing the efforts of the Federal Government by providing their own palliatives for their people, Adeleke has chosen to hoard the one for the people of Osun State for the reasons which could only be known to him and his co-travellers.

“Governance of a state is neither for the lily-livered, weaklings nor an inexperienced human being with no verifiable work history.

“Governor Adeleke should explain without further delay why his administration can no longer remit deductions from the workers’ salaries to appropriate places as and when due.

Reacting to this, Osun PDP under the leadership of Sunday Bisi warned Osun APC to desist from its lies so as not to force the PDP government to revisit its policy on book of the past, adding that ” looters of yesterday risk being unmasked to face the consequences of their maladministration”

Bisi said Adeleke’s “Osun state inherited from the APC government was financially wrecked. Yet, Governor Adeleke manages to pay monthly salaries without default till date. He has paid over N17 billion naira from inherited N56 billion naira debt. He is paying half salary debt instalmentally.

” The Governor has constructed over 50 kilometers of roads. Several bridges and channelisation projects are completed. Free medical surgeries are being held with over 50, 000 beneficiaries.

” Osun’s financial management model is superbly sound. All over the country, people are asking how Governor Adeleke is so smartly governing despite the financial liabilities. The record of the administration in financial prudence is astounding.

” For us in PDP, we believe APC leadership is suffering from undiagnosed political ailment that has destroyed its soul. It is reprehensible for a party that plunged the state into avoidable debt cumulatively close to N100 billion to accuse the successor party of misdemeanor.

” In saner climes, APC and its jobless and frustrated hatchet writer will by now have quitted partisan politics. By now,they should be facing a probe for destroying a buoyant state economy handed over to the APC 12 or so years ago.

” Governor Adeleke is however more concerned about stabilizing the ship of state. He rejected the possibility of probing those who plunged the state into current debt,choosing instead to salvage the state finance and economy”, Hon Bisi noted in the press statement.