The opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun have disagreed over an alleged plot by the government of Governor Ademola Adeleke to pilfer state funds with the launch of a N100 billion project.

The Nation recalled that Adeleke unveiled the N100 billion project fund on Friday, October 27, stating that he would construct five flyovers, and 45 roads among other projects within 12 months.

He noted that many people underrated him when he was sworn in as the governor but with his sterling performance in the last year, he has surprised his critics.

However, the leadership of APC through its chairman, Tajudeen Lawal in a statement on Sunday, October 29, described the Adeleke N100 billion development programmes as “a scam skillfully designed to enrich some economic ‘buccaneers’ close to his government.”

He said: “There could not be any other name for the phony and white-elephant projects but a gross misplacement of priority in the hand of a person statutorily saddled with the responsibility of being the caretaker of the resources of the state.”

“Since Adeleke said he would not borrow a dime to finance the projects, the citizenry deserves the right to know the source of the funding and the modality for its settlement as what we are talking of is not a family enterprise whose activities can be effected under the table.

“Adeleke government is still hoarding N9 billion Federal Government fuel subsidy removal palliative. The government which mindlessly warehouses the Federal Government fund for the people, despite complaints from the various stakeholders in the state, cannot be trusted with its plans to execute all the outlined projects.”

The PDP, through its chairman, Sunday Bisi, in his reaction, said APC is anti-development, adding that “criticism of its government’s multi-billion naira infrastructure plan is unpatriotic, reprehensible and a display of anti-development, anti-people politics.”

Bisi berated APC for playing politics with a development agenda that is widely adjudged to be commendable, long overdue, sustainable, and paramount to the economic revival of our dear state.

He noted: “APC is a party that is in bewilderment and severe pain at the ingenuity, innovation, and financial engineering of the Adeleke governorship. We see a bunch of rejected politicians who cannot fathom the depth of strategic thinking that produced the crafting of an ambitious infra plan carefully put together with an eye on sustainability and multiplier effect on the expansion of state economy and well-being of our people.

“The PDP government inherited a state with over 95 infrastructural deficits as of November 2022. Our internal state infra audit when PDP took over revealed that the infrastructural decay cut across all sectors. The APC should get educated that not all Governors are interested in diverting public funds as was the practice when the opposition holds sway.” (The Nation)

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