Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
Following the alleged nepotism in the award of public contracts in Osun State by the state Governor, Ademola Adeleke led-government, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has berated the governor for awarding multibillion naira infrastructural projects to his elder brother, Dr. Deji Adeleke; his son, David Adeleke popularly known as Davido; Deputy Speaker, Akinyode Abidemi Oyewusi, among others.
The opposition party in the state scolded the governor for continuously running the affairs of the state as private enterprise of the Adeleke’s dynasty, decrying the gross violation of the 2015 Public Procurement Law of the state in the award of the contracts worth about N50billion to entities with no professional and technical competence.
This is even as the party called on the anti-graft agencies, particularly Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to come to the aid of the state.
The APC raised the allegations yesterday at a press conference addressed by its Chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Lawal, held at the Tinubu/ Shettima Campaign Office in Osogbo.
Lawal accused Adeleke of alleged flagrant disobedience of extant laws and gross violation of the 2015 Public Procurement Law of the state in the award of the contracts to entities with no background in road construction.
According to him, “The financial injection through the supposed infrastructure is being circumvented and cornered by the Adeleke family using business names of Dr. Deji Adeleke and lawmaker from Ife North state constituency of Osun State, Hon. Akinyode Abidemi Oyewumi.
“Tongues are currently wagging in Osun State that the billionaire brother of Governor Adeleke, Deji, and his son, Mr. David Adeleke aka 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 state government.
“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 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.
“Again, it is strange that the Ademola Adeleke Government awarded public contracts to companies with no history of road construction. There is no verifiable evidence that Raregeode Company Limited, Acumen Forte Limited and the three companies engaged for the road construction, namely: Ascorj Integrated Nigeria Ltd, Great Enyork Technology Limited and Enginec Engineering Limited, have the capacity and experience for such whooping contracts. The contracts were not only gifted to mushroom companies, they were gifted at insane costs. Even in the Niger Delta states where topology is unfriendly, contracts are not awarded at N2.5bn per kilometre as Governor Adeleke has done in the instance of Osun State.”
Lawal also debunked the PDP’s allegations against the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, of using his position and closeness to the president to destabilise the state, saying the false alarm confirmed the palpable ineptness in the Adeleke’s government.
“We want to state pointedly here as a party that there is no basis for such accusation as it was not only misplaced but unfounded as the peace-loving marine minister is preoccupied with how to complement the efforts of President Tinubu in the realisation of his Renewed Hope Agenda in the interest of the generality of the people of this nation,” the party added.
