The All Progressives Congress (APC), Osun State chapter has accused the governor of the State, Ademola Adeleke, of contract fraud.
The party urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to probe Adeleke’s government.
Speaking via its chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, Osun APC claimed that the governor awarded multibillion naira infrastructural projects to his elder brother, Deji Adeleke; his son, David Adeleke popularly known as Davido; and Deputy Speaker, Akinyode Abidemi Oyewusi, among others.
Lawal made the claim while addressing newsmen at the party’s Ilerioluwa campaign office on Tuesday.
According to him, “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.
“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 Osun State Deputy Speaker is the founder of Raregeode Company Limited and Acumen Forte Limited, two companies awarded road projects by Governor Adeleke to the tune of N9 billion and was a shareholder in the two companies as at the time the contracts were awarded; while members of his family were also Person(s) with Significant Interest in the two companies, which is contrary to the public procurement law of Osun State.
By virtue of the PPA Law of 2015, it amounts to unholy conflict of interest that a leader of the state House of Assembly will, through the back door, use two companies founded by him and where he is still a shareholder and members of his family are still holding principal directing positions, to bid for public contracts.
“For the fact that this seemingly unpatriotic action of Mr Oyewusi grossly violates provisions of the state’s procurement law, he should resign his membership of the state House of Assembly outright and hand himself over to the anti-graft agency for prosecution.
“We want to use this medium to call on the anti-graft agencies, especially the ICPC and EFCC, to immediately move in their men to Osun State in order to halt the reckless mismanagement of public fund which is now endemic under the government of Senator Ademola Adeleke.”
But reacting to the allegations, the chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun, Sunday Bisi, said Adeleke is running a transparent government devoid of corruption.
He said, “On December 15, 2022, Governor Ademola Adeleke opened up the financial books of Osun state to the people through the traditional rulers across the state.
“Also, on October 5, 2023, Governor Adeleke disclosed the receipt of a N7bn refund from the federal government to the people during Ipade Imole. Under the previous government, particularly the one led by Gboyega Oyetola, the finances of the state were shrouded in secrecy.
“It took the exposure of a faction within the APC before the then Oyetola administration acknowledged receiving over N11bn refund from the federal government, and yet, Osun people do not know exactly how the fund was utilized.
“It is 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.”
