The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has enjoined the legislative arm of government in the state to wade into why Governor Ademola Adeleke decided to withhold the November 2022 salaries of all the political appointees of the immediate-past Governor Gboyega Oyetola.
In a statement issued by Chief Kola Bisi, the Director of Osun APC, it was revealed that Adeleke has refused to pay the November salaries of all the legally-appointed political appointees of Oyetola despite the fact that the latter had appropriated the fund for same before he left the office.
The affected former public officers are the Governor, Deputy Governor, Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff, Assistant Chief of Staff, Commissioners, Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, Personal Assistants, Drivers and others.
“It was observed that Governor Adeleke deliberately and grudgingly refused to pay the November salaries of all the public officers who validly worked for Oyetola till the end of his tenure last month”.
Sequel to the sadistic development, The Osun State Acting APC Chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, stated that “there could be no justifiable reason under the sun why Governor Adeleke should be owing the salaries of the public workers who were validly employed by his predecessor”.
“Adeleke to shed his toga of politics of hatred, vindictiveness, oppression, victimisation as there is no any justifiable reason for him to withhold the workers’ salaries other than wickedness, insensitivity, lack of empathy and inconsideration”, Lawal stated.
He querried the basis for the seizure of the public workers’ salaries when there are records that they were validly employed and worked diligently till the 27th of November, 2022 when there was a change of government.
Lawal hinted that “the cacophonous noise of the Governor that he has paid all the workers salaries for the month of November was a ruse as there are verifiable facts that despite the fact that Oyetola had appropriated the fund for the salaries, Adeleke blatantly refused to pay it”.
He said, “I can’t understand how we came to this level. Why is Governor Adeleke punishing a cross section of Osun State workers whose salaries he is sitting on.
“Thank God that we are operating in a democratic society where there are expected statutory checks and balances by the all arms of any government”.
“It is on this basis that it is expedient for the Osun State House of Assembly to wade into the issue and ask questions why Governor Adeleke is working a bleak Christmas for some people in the state through non-payment of salaries”, Lawal stated.
