Petition: APC, Osun Govt Engage In Accusations, Counteraccusations…We Acted In Public Interest-Gov Adeleke
Osun State APC and officials of the Governor Ademola Adeleke administration on Sunday expressed divergent opinions on the petition filed by the state government last week asking the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to quiz former political office holders who were accused of misusing public funds.
Recall that Osun State Government had launched probe into the utilization of a $20m World Bank health grant during the Gboyega Oyetola administration alleging flagrant misuse of the funds in question.
Mr Gboyega Oyetola, who is the Minister of Blue Economy, served as governor of Osun State between 2018 and 2022
The state government had also accused Oyetola of getting involved in money laundering, financial misconduct and violations of the Public Procurement Act with respect to the disbursement of the $20m World Bank health grant.
The state government had petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and in the petition in question dated March 7, 2025, the anti-graft agency was urged to take necessary action.
Reacting to this development during a press conference presided over by its spokesman, Chief Kola Olabisi, the state APC described the allegations as frivolous accusing the governor of ‘descending to pettiness’, while asserting that his government cannot survive on a witch-hunting mission against Oyetola.
APC also made counteraccusations accusing Governor Adeleke of coming up with a diversionary tactic with the aim of distracting attention from his alleged corrupt practices bordering on financial improprieties, abuse of power, naked impunity, flagrant disobedience to rule of law among other misconducts.
Olabisi, who made weighty allegations against the governor and his family, also accused the current administration in the state of failing to publish relevant documents on the official website of the state as against the principles and tenets of the state Public Procurement Law.
‘It is shocking to note that the state government under Governor Ademola Adeleke’s leadership, which has been serially accused of running a secret-cult government owing to its penchant for hiding details of financial and procurement transactions of the state, is the one raising frivolous allegations again his immediate predecessor adjudged the best in financial transparency by the World Bank.
Unlike the Oyetola government which uploaded no fewer than 110 contract and procurement details on the state government portal in a spate of three years, the current government has only published seven (7) contract details in two years, raising eyebrows about the government’s commitment to accountability and transparency.
Does Governor Adeleke think trumping lies to cast aspersion on the government of his immediate predecessor will make the EFCC sweep under the carpet the investigation against his lapdog, the Deputy Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Akinyode Oyewusi and Kazeem Akinleye, the Chief of Staff to Governor Adeleke?
Two companies founded by Oyewusi, Raregode Nigeria Limited and Acumen Forte Limited were awarded joint contracts worth over N10 billion at a time Oyewusi was still a serving Deputy Speaker of the state assembly. Raregode Limited is a fertilizer distribution company with no history of road construction but strangely, the Adeleke government awarded the whooping contracts to it.
Similarly, the Chief of Staff to Governor Adeleke, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, used his closeness to government to obtain for a company founded by him, Akinkaz Interbiz Limited, government contracts. The company was awarded multi-billionaire TETFUND projects in Osun State University ( UNIOSUN) and University of Ilesa.
An NGO, League of Peace Ambassadors, Humanity and Human Right Advocates petitioned the anti-graft agency, EFCC, on April 16, 2024, about the shady and fraudulent contracts Governor Adeleke awarded to his appointees and cronies. Here is the Petition. More than a year ago. And we are aware that the EFCC are about to file formal charges against these characters who violated their oaths of office as public servants.
The cases of Governor Adeleke’s family members and officials using their closeness to government and privileged positions to corner undeserved contracts against extant laws abound. Dr Deji Adeleke (the governor’s brother and father of the popular singer, Davido) has been entangled in this web of contract racketeering as his name has surfaced in several instances in the controversial borehole projects allegedly installed in selected wards in the state.
He was alleged to have secured a borehole project for N14 million, many of which ended not being built. The similar borehole projects, but with all the ancillary facilities, were built in the health centres rehabilitated under our administration for less than N2 million each. It is painful that imaginary and audio borehole projects were allegedly superintended by Dr Deji Adeleke for insanely N14 million while similar projects, which are still functioning till today, were built for less than N2 million each.
It is not a gainsaying that Dr Deji Adeleke has been operating behind the scene as the unofficial Governor-General of the state; Mrs Dupe Adeleke-Sanni, the governor’s elder sister has secured the role of the governor-in-charge of administration for herself while the governor who was elected has been titular and ridiculously playing the role of a governor-in-charge of entertainment to the consternation of the right-thinking members of society. The situation is that bad in our state.
Under Governor Adeleke, public procurement in Osun has become an Ojuju-Calabar, an euphemism for secret-cult government. A notable transparency advocacy group, BudgIT, has reported that Osun State Government has refused to publish relevant information on the state’s e-procurement portal.
According to the civic organization, which uses creative technology to simplify public information, Osun State’s performance on the fiscal transparency league table was impacted by late submission of Accountant General’s report ‘and the absence of 2024 data on the e-procurement portal.’ The state, therefore, was advised to prioritize the timely submission of financial reports and update its e-procurement platform with current data.
If the current jesters think sponsoring mudslinging would discourage APC from giving life to the judgment of the Court of Appeal reinstating its chairmen and councilors, then the government should bury the thought. The Chairmen and Councilors have come to stay, and they are resolute on giving a dividend of democracy to the people of Osun’ Chief Kola Olabisi submitted while asking the governor to publish full details of the contractors named in the petition sent to EFCC asserting that no one among those who served as commissioners or advisers under Oyetola was involved in the contracts in question.
‘We challenge the state government that is now on a witch-hunting mission, to publish names of contractors and date of contract awards to substantiate their evil narrative.
In the recent propaganda escalated to the country’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC), chronicling falsehood to soil the name of Oyetola and those who worked in his government, the Adeleke government said the $20m Save-One-Million Lives (SOML) Programme was stolen and was not used for the purpose it was meant for.
SOML is a World Bank project designed to save the lives of mothers and children through health services. The fund received by Osun State Government was comprehensively monitored by the donor.
.
Not only was the fund used to improve health care service delivery in the state, the award of contracts followed the relevant procurement laws of the state. We make bold to state that no Commissioner, Adviser or Appointee of former governor Oyetola was awarded contracts while serving in his government’ Olabisi also asserted.
Reacting to the assertions made by the state APC ,Osun State Government called it ‘gibberish pushed to the public’ while also describing it as ‘a feeble and desperate attempt to distract attention away from the weighty allegations of financial misconduct contained in the petition sent to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’.
‘Rather than addressing the damning revelations of corruption, misappropriation, and abuse of office, the APC has chosen to resort to baseless propaganda, outright falsehoods, and diversionary tactics. This reckless approach only reinforces the fact that the party and its leaders have no reasonable defense against the allegations’ Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, who is the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, submitted in a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com on Sunday.
The state government also noted that the measures taken were done in the public interest.
‘To set the record straight, the petition sent to EFCC is not a product of political witch-hunt but the culmination of a painstaking, evidence-based process that began in early 2023. A Contract Review Committee was constituted to examine the financial dealings of the previous administration, and its findings uncovered a shocking scale of malfeasance, violations of due process, and brazen acts of corruption under former Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s leadership.
In response, a White Paper Committee was established, which further reviewed and validated the findings, ultimately recommending the prosecution of implicated officials. These recommendations were subsequently approved by the State Executive Council in 2024. Given the sheer magnitude of financial recklessness uncovered, the Adeleke administration had a duty to the people of Osun State to ensure accountability rather than sweep the report under the carpet.
Consequently, a White Paper Implementation Committee was inaugurated in late 2024, and after a rigorous scrutiny of the documented infractions, a legal team was engaged to compile a comprehensive petition, which was submitted to the EFCC on Friday, March 7, 2025.
The petition presents indisputable material evidence of:
• Financial Misconduct
• Money Laundering
• Brazen Violations of the Public Procurement Act, 2007
One of the most damning discoveries was the mismanagement of funds meant for the renovation of 320 primary healthcare centers across Osun State. Rather than follow due process, the former governor unilaterally awarded contracts without any competitive bidding—a clear violation of procurement laws.
Shockingly, these contracts were handed to close allies, political associates, and family members of top officials, many of whom had no prior experience in construction’ the statement added.
.
‘Additionally, the investigation uncovered a staggering N1.5 billion laundered through the Osun chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) between January and October 2022. Financial records obtained from Zenith Bank revealed that funds were funneled into a private bank account linked to one Akeem Ibitoye, a local government employee and Director of Finance at Ejigbo Local Government. Subsequent cash withdrawals ranging from ₦10 million to ₦30 million were carried out daily with no legitimate records of official use’ he said.
.
The state government also noted that it will not be intimidated or blackmailed into silence while asking the people implicated in the petition to prepare to answer for their actions before the appropriate authorities instead of issuing desperate and misleading press statements.
‘We trust the EFCC to conduct a thorough investigation and bring all culpable individuals to justice. No amount of noise from the APC can shield the guilty from the consequences of their actions’ the statement added-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
