…Osun Govt acted in line with Public Interest by submitting petition to EFCC — Information Commissioner

By Jeleel Olawale

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola against allegations of money laundering made by Governor Ademola Adeleke.

The party held a press conference on Sunday, where it dismissed the accusations as politically motivated and baseless. Speaking at the conference, the APC’s Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, condemned what he described as a “political mockery” playing out in Osun State.

“Osun State has been subjected to negative and sensational headlines due to Governor Adeleke’s arrogance and refusal to obey a simple Court of Appeal judgement that reinstated the sacked local government chairmen elected in October 2022 under the APC,” Olabisi stated.

“Even after the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, advised the governor to uphold the rule of law and honour the court’s decision, Governor Adeleke has persisted in his defiance, encouraging lawlessness.”

The APC accused the Adeleke-led administration of mismanaging local government funds for personal and political purposes.

“For over two years, the Adeleke government controlled local government funds, misappropriating over ?40 billion meant for councils,” Olabisi claimed. “The administration reportedly spent ?11 billion on luxury vehicles for politicians, and over ?5 billion on renovating the Governor’s Lodge, a contract awarded to his son-in-law who only visited the project site three times from the United States.”

The APC further alleged that while the administration squandered resources on personal luxuries, critical sectors such as health and education were neglected.

“Public education at all levels remains underfunded, while members of the governor’s inner circle drive luxury SUVs worth ?150 million each,” he added.

Olabisi accused the state government of attempting to tarnish Oyetola’s reputation after its failed bid to prevent the reinstatement of APC local government chairmen.

“Having lost control over local government funds, the Adeleke government has resorted to slander. It falsely claims that $20 million from the World Bank’s ‘Save-One-Million-Lives’ (SOML) programme was stolen under Oyetola,” Olabisi stated. “These claims are unfounded, as SOML funds were used appropriately under strict monitoring from the World Bank.”

The APC challenged the state government to publish names of contractors and contract award dates if its claims were true.

The party also accused Governor Adeleke’s allies of corruption, alleging that Deputy Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Akinyode Oyewusi, and the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Kazeem Akinleye, were awarded questionable contracts worth over ?10 billion.

“Raregode Nigeria Limited and Acumen Forte Limited, companies linked to Oyewusi, received road construction contracts despite having no experience in the sector,” Olabisi alleged. “Similarly, Akinleye’s company, Akinkaz Interbiz Limited, secured multi-billion-naira projects at Osun State University (UNIOSUN) and the University of Ilesa.”

The APC cited a petition filed by the League of Peace Ambassadors, Humanity and Human Rights Advocates to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in April 2024, calling for an investigation into these alleged fraudulent contracts.

Olabisi criticised the Adeleke administration for a lack of financial transparency, citing a report by the advocacy group BudgIT, which accused the state of failing to publish financial records on its e-procurement portal.

“While the Oyetola government uploaded over 110 contract details on the state portal in three years, Adeleke’s government has only published seven in two years,” Olabisi claimed. “Yet, the same government is making baseless corruption allegations against its predecessor.”

The APC insisted that the reinstated local government chairmen would remain in office and deliver good governance to Osun residents.

“The former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola did not wait a year before taking Chief Bisi Akande’s officials to court over fraud allegations, even though they were later found innocent,” Olabisi remarked. “Governor Adeleke should stop playing politics and obey the Court of Appeal’s judgement of 10 February 2025.”

In response, Osun State’s Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Barrister Kolapo Alimi, dismissed the APC’s statements as “gibberish” and “a feeble attempt to distract from the weighty allegations of financial misconduct detailed in the government’s petition to the EFCC.”

In a statement released on Sunday, Alimi said the EFCC petition was not politically motivated but rather based on a thorough investigation.

“The Contract Review Committee, constituted in early 2023, uncovered a shocking scale of financial malpractice under Oyetola’s administration,” Alimi stated. “These findings were validated by a White Paper Committee, which recommended prosecution. The State Executive Council approved these recommendations in 2024.”

Alimi detailed the findings of the investigation, which he said exposed financial mismanagement, money laundering, and violations of procurement laws.

“One of the most damning discoveries was the mismanagement of funds meant for renovating 320 primary healthcare centres. Instead of following due process, contracts were awarded without competitive bidding to political allies and family members of top officials,” he alleged.

Alimi named several companies allegedly involved, including Poshpreneurs Nig., linked to the children of the former Head of Service, and Dotfam Multiventures Ltd., linked to the former APC State Chairman’s siblings.

The government also accused the Oyetola administration of laundering ?1.5 billion through the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) between January and October 2022.

“Zenith Bank records show that funds were funnelled into a private account linked to one Akeem Ibitoye, a local government employee, with daily cash withdrawals of ?10 to ?30 million,” Alimi stated. “These transactions had no legitimate records of official use.”

The commissioner reaffirmed the Adeleke government’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

“Unlike the APC, which thrives on impunity, Governor Adeleke’s administration believes in the rule of law,” he said. “We will not be intimidated or blackmailed. The former officials implicated should prepare to answer for their actions before the relevant authorities instead of issuing misleading press statements.”

Alimi concluded by stating that the Osun State Government expects the EFCC to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure justice is served.