By Ismaeel Aleem
A bitter political row has erupted in Osun State between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) over an alleged N300 million corruption scandal involving a senior civil servant.
The APC accused Governor Ademola Adeleke’s government of shielding the implicated official, while the state swiftly dismissed the claims as baseless propaganda.
In a statement issued yesterday by APC’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the party alleged that a female Permanent Secretary purportedly the wife of a serving commissioner in Adeleke’s cabinet embezzled over N300 million in state funds.
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Olabisi decried the administration’s “administrative hollowness,” claiming it has enabled political functionaries to loot public resources.
“What could have been the reason for the Adeleke administration, which professes accountability and rule of law, to be shielding a female Permanent Secretary who was caught embezzling over N300 million government fund?” the APC demanded.
The opposition party further asserted that the government is handling the matter covertly, with a “discreet arrangement” for the accused to repay the funds instead of facing prosecution.
“A government that claims to be above board would not make the corruption issue against the indicted Permanent Secretary a discreet affair,” Olabisi stated.
The APC called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Police to intervene, insisting on swift justice to uphold transparency.
Meanwhile, the state government fired back, branding the allegations “beer parlour gossip elevated to the level of party propaganda.”
Spokesperson to the governor, Olawale Rasheed, in a rebuttal, denied any N300 million scandal in any agency or ministry.
“There is no Three Hundred Million naira scam or scandal as Governor Ademola Adeleke is running a transparent government,” Rasheed affirmed.
He accused the APC of fabricating falsehoods to mask its waning popularity among Osun residents.
Rasheed highlighted the state’s robust procurement law, which enforces threshold approvals and due process, rendering unilateral embezzlement of such sums “unthinkable.”
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He reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to accountability, warning of legal repercussions for those disseminating the “libellous, unfounded” claims.
“Governor Adeleke has never and will never tolerate corruption or shield any official if such misconduct ever exists,” he added.
