EFCC, ICPC should come to Osun now – Lawal
We’ll show them how you ran the state aground – Bisi
The Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party have disagreed over alleged award of multibillion naira infrastructural projects to Dr Deji Adeleke, an elder brother of the Governor Ademola Adeleke; music star David Adeleke popularly known as ‘Davido; Deputy Speaker, Akinyode Abidemi Oyewusi among others.
While the APC insisted that the projects were awarded to Adeleke family, the PDP described the allegations as a blatant lie and smear campaign against a reputable dynasty.
Addressing a Press Conference, APC Chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, decried the use of the state as private enterprise of Adeleke’s dynasty, while decrying the gross violation of the 2015 Public Procurement Law of the state in the award of the contracts worth about N50bn to entities with no professional and technical competence.
Lawal accused Governor Adeleke of 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.
He said “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, Dr Deji Adeleke and his son, Mr David Adeleke a.k.a. ‘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 Government of Osun State.
“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 Mr 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 kilometer as Governor Adeleke has done in the instance of Osun.
“We want to use this medium to call on the anti-graft agencies, especially the ICPC and EFCC, to immediately move in their men to Osun State in order to halt the reckless mismanagement of public fund which is now endemic under the government of Senator Ademola Adeleke”, Lawal asserted.
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 destabilize the state saying the false alarm confirmed the palpable ineptness in the Adeleke’s government.
Reacting to the allegations made by the opposition party, the Osun PDP denied all allegations raised by the APC.
The PDP Chairman, Hon Sunday Bisi stated that State Government under Adeleke hasn’t violated the law whatsoever.
He said “We affirm that the State Government is not only complying with extant laws but prudently deploying available resources to develop the State Infrastructure.
Addressing the allegations of awarding contracts to families and Associates, Bisi said ” All the companies have undergone rigorous scrutiny of journalists and there is no established links of any of the companies to Dr. Deji Adeleke or his son, David Adeleke (Davido).
” Also when Raregeode Company Limited and Acumen Forte Limited won the bid and were awarded contracts for the various projects, the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon Akinyode Abidemi Oyewusi has ceased to have any role in the two companies. The resignation letter of the Deputy Speaker relinquishing control over the two companies in line with the provision of the law. As long as he has resigned his interests in the company, there is no encumbrance or illegality on the side of the Deputy Speaker”, he explained.
The Party leader also welcomed the invitation extended to the EFCC and ICPC by the APC, stating that the anti-graft agencies will see how the former ruling Party ran the state badly.
“We have nothing to hide. The EFCC and ICPC can come. We will also show them how the APC ran the state badly and left debt of about 500bn naira for our administration.” He said.
