The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of favouritism and misplaced priorities following the award of a ₦678 million contract glpfor the reconstruction of the Sango-Timi Shrine and Grove at the Timi’s Palace in Ede, his hometown.
In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, the APC said the governor’s action reflects a lack of fairness in governance, stressing that the project was of little or no economic value compared to other pressing needs across the state.
In an exclusive report by Insight Media, it was reported that the Osun State Government had approved N678m for the renovation of Sango shrine project in Ede.
In reaction to the development, the APC in a statement said “it would be recalled that the administration of Governor Adeleke has been facing series of backlash both from within and outside the state for his poor priority in the public office to have awarded such a multi-million naira contract for the construction of a Sango Shrine in his home town to the detriment of other pressing programmes that could positively touch the lives of the people of the state.
“There is a potent justification for the people of the state who have been complaining in hush tones and accusing the governor of being grossly guilty of misplacement of priority and favouritism”, the statement partly read.
The party noted that Adeleke’s administration only announced plans to develop other historical sites across the state after widespread criticism trailed the Ede shrine contract, describing the move as “an afterthought designed to deceive the people.”
“The allocation of almost double the ₦376 million released as education subsidy in the first half of the year to a shrine project is insensitive and insulting to the sensibility of the people,”.
The APC further faulted Adeleke for failing to fulfill promises to workers, citing poor releases for gratuity arrears and contributory pensions despite a ₦6 billion budgetary allocation.
“Any one who is in abundant possession of conscience has a genuine reason to be visibly worried that the amount allocated to this shrine project is almost double the ₦376 million released by the government as Education Subsidy in the first half of the year, as shown on page 42 of the state’s Budget Implementation Report for the second quarter of 2025.
“What do Governor Adeleke and his cohorts tend to achieve by approving such a collosal amount of money to a community shrine of his town moreso when it is obvious that the many promises the governor made to the state workers remain unfulfilled like the ₦6 billion budgeted for Gratuity Arrears payment in 2025, which no funds had been released as at the end of the second quarter?
“For gratuity payments, only ₦500 million, just 11.1 per cent of the ₦4.5 billion budgeted, has been disbursed while the Contributory Pension Scheme is also poorly funded, with only ₦998 million, representing 14.3 per cent of the ₦7 billion planned, released so far this year.
The statement further read, “Governor Adeleke has repeatedly been accused of concentrating development efforts in his hometown of Ede, often at the expense of other major towns. In 2025 alone, seven road projects, valued at over ₦70 billion, have been awarded for dualisation in Ede.
“Meanwhile, numerous infrastructure projects in other towns such as Ife, Osogbo, and Ilesa remain uncompleted, nearly two years after being awarded.
“It would be recalled that in October 2023, Governor Adeleke announced an ‘ambitious’ plan to complete five flyovers within 12 months. Almost two years later, none of the projects, two in Osogbo and one in Ife, has been completed. While two of the five have not even taken off.
“If the shrine project in Ede is intended to promote tourism and preserve cultural heritage, one must ask: Why was Ede alone considered for the first phase”, the statement ended.
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