The Osun State Government has accused former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and members of his administration of engaging in contract racketeering and money laundering during their time in office.
The allegations were made by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, during a live radio broadcast in Osun State on Monday morning.
Government Promises to Release Evidence
Alimi stated that the government has obtained documents to support its claims and promised to make them public before the end of the week.
“We have credible evidence and documents proving that former Governor Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, his Finance Commissioner, Alhaji Bola Oyebamiji, Works Commissioner, Remi Omowaiye, Local Government Commissioner, Adebayo Adeleke Banik, their ALGON Chairman, Abiodun Samuel Idowu, and others were involved in contract racketeering and money laundering,” Alimi said.
He added that the documents would be released gradually from Monday to Friday, with the revelations to be broadcast live on all radio stations in the state.
Monitoring Local Government Activities
The commissioner also mentioned that the government is closely monitoring activities at local government offices across the state, ensuring that the upcoming local government elections proceed without disruptions.
“We are keeping track of events in the local government areas and documenting all developments. The Saturday local government elections will take place without any issues. We are in control of the situation and urge residents to maintain peace and order,” Alimi said.
Political Tensions Over Local Government Officials
This comes amid tensions between Governor Ademola Adeleke and Oyetola over the reinstatement of sacked local government chairmen.
Adeleke has accused his predecessor of inciting unrest by pressuring security agencies to reinstate the dismissed officials.
However, Oyetola, now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, has denied any wrongdoing and urged Adeleke’s government to respect the February 10 Court of Appeal ruling on the matter.
APC Denies Allegations, Calls Them Politically Motivated
Reacting to the allegations, the All Progressives Congress (APC) dismissed them as false and politically motivated.
Waheed Adekunle, speaking on behalf of the APC, described the accusations as an attempt to distract the public from the government’s failures.
“These allegations are baseless. Oyetola and his administration did not engage in contract fraud or money laundering. The threats being made by Alimi and the state government hold no substance and are purely fabricated.
He also questioned the timing of the accusations, urging the government to comply with the Appeal Court ruling on the reinstatement of sacked council officials.