Govt Vehicles: Osun APC , PDP Disagree Over Motive For Setting Up Recovery Task Force, ‘Conduct Of Operations’

The issue of how government vehicles were allegedly ‘mismanaged’  by the Gboyega Oyetola administration in Osun state and the steps taken by the current administration in the state to recover vehicles allegedly taken away by former political office holders in the state resurfaced on Saturday with  the state APC raising serious allegations against the ruling party, the PDP.

The disagreement centered on the motive for setting up a recovery Task Force and what would be its conduct of operations.

Osun state APC on Saturday  accused the Governor Ademola Adeleke  administration of an orchestrated plan to promote turmoil across the state with a view to getting at  APC members and leaders through extra-judicial means.

‘Information has it that it was in preparation for the skillfully-planned cross-state crises that prompted Governor Adeleke to set up a phony asset recovery squad a few days ago in line with one of his Executive Orders.

It was gathered that the composition of the questionable asset recovery squad are notorious PDP hoodlums who have been delegated to move around the state to attack, molest and possibly kill the APC members under the guise of recovering government property from them.

It was also learnt that some of the members of the APC Media Clusters who have been critical and consistently exposing the corruption-loving and mediocre  Adeleke administration on social media have also been marked for abduction by the government asset recovery squad.

A strong intelligence revealed that some conventional security officers have equally been recruited by the government to join in carrying out the devilish assignment’ the  state  APC chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal submitted in a statement  made available to Team@orientactualmags.com by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Chief Kola Olabisi on Saturday.

The party urged all the statutory security agencies in the state to be wary of the plans by the state government to engage their men and officers for unconstitutional operations as such a conspiration is capable of rocking the peace of the state.

He noted that Osun state is not a banana republic where the rule of force can replace the rule of law.

‘Governor Ademola Adeleke and his co-travelers should be held responsible for any form of breakdown of law and order in Osun state.

Does it not occur to Governor Adeleke that he is the one wearing the proverbial white apparel which shouldn’t be stained by palm-oil at this point in time in the political history of the state?

We, as a party, know the direction to point at if anyone among members of our party is attacked, abducted or murdered by the government’s killing squad that would be going about as an asset recovery squad. A word is enough for the wise’ he said.

The state PDP in its reaction to the allegations raised by the state APC has however condemned the opposition party for supporting its members who had allegedly carted away government vehicles illegally and would be making the state to go into another round of multi-billion-naira expenditure through the purchase of vehicles.

‘We are shocked at the shameful release from the state APC and depth of immorality displayed by the opposition. Your child stole an item and instead of scolding him or her, you are saying the owner should forget about it.

 Your members “stole” government vehicles, and the state is asking them to return it. You are reprehensibly justifying daylight robbery. In saner climes, those who issued such a press statement would be considered as an accomplice and they would be made to face charges.

A group of former state officials claimed and confirmed that they went away with government vehicles. Yet, a discredited political party cannot summon a meeting and order them to return such properties. Rather, party leaders are audaciously trying to spin theft in a political chess game.

What has happened to the moral compass of Sooko Tajudeen Lawal and his cohorts? Why will a party chairman be defending ‘thieves’ who for more than a year refused to return government vehicles they took away illegally? 

The flagrant display of immoral audaciousness by Tajudeen Lawal and Kolawole Olabisi stinks to high heaven and confirms the correctness of popular vote which ousted these political marauders from office. Or how can a public official steal, get caught and still brashingly dare owners of properties?

These officials claimed there was a law that protected them. When the law was checked and revealed to the public, there was no cover, no clause that allowed such an illegality.

At another time, they claimed the former governor simply dashed them the cars. In law ,the former governor as a public official, has no power to dash government property to anybody. No law empowered him to do so. Hence, those with the cars are beneficiaries of an illegal act. 

As of today, the state government is still struggling to buy cars for cabinet members because those official vehicles were illegally taken away by commissioners and special advisers under former governor Oyetola. Worst still, these same APC without a sense of shame will have the  scruple to advocate against government spending on purchase of cars. What a height of deceit and dishonesty!!!

The government of the day therefore has the duty to recover all stolen and diverted government property. This is not about politics or political witch -hunts. It is purely about law enforcement.

As indicated in the White Paper, the Taskforce will release its conduct of operations and will follow due process in the recovery process. The Taskforce will issue due notice and will follow up the notice with enforcement.

As a party , the PDP calls on former officials of the state government to return government vehicles in their possession. The longer the vehicles stay with them, the more they incur reputation damage and public wrath because there is no law in Osun state that protects those who stole government property’ the party submitted–  Team@orientactualmags.com
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