Adegboyega Oyetola, a former Osun State Governor, has given his teeming supporters in the state assurance to retrieve his mandate from Governor Ademola Adeleke and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
He also expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will emerge President after the February 25 election.
Oyetola, who was received by teeming APC supporters on his return to Osun for the first time after November 25 last year, branched at the Tinubu-Shettima campaign office, Osogbo, where he joined party faithful in an inter-denominational prayer session for the party’s success in the general elections.
Speaking on Monday, January 2, 2023, after the prayer session, Oyetola disclosed his happiness returning to the midst of his supporters after taking time to refresh with his family, watching movies, and attending to his spiritual wellness.
His words; “I am happy to be back in your midst today after a long break with my family. I return to your midst with good tidings and I am lucky that you organise a prayer to receive me into the state.
“God has told me that he will do two things for us this year, we are going to retrieve our mandate and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will become the president of Nigeria.
“I know that you are scared by what happened but God knows how he does his plans. Everyone has his challenges. I served Osun wholeheartedly for four years without resting and God intentionally orchestrated my rest for a while. I wake up everyday, I eat sleep, and watch Africa Magic, I have time to receive my children and grandchildren. I later went to lesser hajj with my wife to give thanks the Almighty.
“God made me to govern osun well. Let our mind be at rest, nobody can scare us off this state. I want to implore us that we should work hard for the forthcoming election, it is very important to us. Continue to hold your meeting, don’t be distracted”.
The party’s Acting Chairman in the state, Tajudeen Lawal while welcoming Oyetola to the state disclosed that party members were proud of the former Governor’s achievement in office, saying it will be difficult for anyone to match his records.
Osun: ‘We inherited N407.32 billion debt from Aregbesola’ – Oyetola’s Aide Replies Adeleke
Ismail Omipidan, the Chief Press Secretary to former Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola, has refuted claims that his principal left the state in debt.
Governor Ademola Adeleke had accused his predecessor of a N18.04 billion FGN Bridge Finance Facility loan after the July 16th, 2022 election which Oyetola lost, claiming there is no information on the repayment terms. He also claimed that the South-West state is indebted to the tune of N407.32 billion.
But hours later, Oyetola’s aide dismissed the allegations, saying that “if they had provided the dates where those debts were procured, it would have been very clear that none were sourced under Adeboyega Oyetola in the four years he spent”.
He said on Thursday, December 15, 2022, during his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today that the N18 billion was budget support from the Federal Government which other states benefited from and was also captured in his principal’s farewell speech
“It is the same N18bn, I want to suspect, they are cleverly claiming that Oyetola borrowed. I make bold to say that for the four years we ran Osun State, we did not take any bank facility and these facts are in the public domain,” he said on Thursday.
“Is it possible to take a loan without going through the House of Assembly? The House of Assembly members are there, the Speaker is there; they are all alive and you can crosscheck these facts from them. The debts they are reeling out were the debts we also inherited from the Aregbesola administration from where we even paid N97 billion.”
‘Empty’ Treasury
As far as he is concerned, the Adeleke administration should make public where it is getting the funds to run the state since all Osun accounts have been frozen by the current government.
“If by their claim that we left them in debt, let them tell the world where they have been sourcing the money they have been spending since November 27th when they came on board.”
Also speaking during the show, Olawale Rasheed, the spokesman to Adeleke claimed that another $100 million debt was discovered after his principal’s meeting with monarchs on Thursday.
According to him, the accountant-general of the state released the data on Osun’s debts.
“We came into government without handing over notes, without anybody giving us a statement of account,” he added
“We called the accountant-general of the state to give us the liabilities and the assets of the state.
“Mind you, this accountant worked with Oyetola for four years; he is not our appointee,” he said, claiming that Osun State’s treasury is “empty” after November salaries were paid to workers.
Source: Vanguard
