The Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola has been accused of bastardising the local government administration in the State in order to tarnish the records of Rauf Aregbesola, his predecessor in office.
Kolapo Alimi, the Deputy Director-General of Senator Ademola Adeleke Campaign Council, revealing this during an interview in Osogbo.
The former two-term Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs under the Rauf Aregbesola administration also accused the Osun Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola of deliberately eroding all the achievements of his predecessor in the local government through his reversal from the Parliamentary to the Presidential system, which was initially adopted to reduce costs at that arm of government.
Alimi, who was also a chieftain of The Osun Progressives before defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) added that since the inception of the current administration in the State, no concrete achievement had been recorded in the local government.
In his words, “It is under Oyetola government that local government administration was bastardised. When I was there as commissioner for local government, we constructed 310km roads across all the 30 local governments and one area office in the State and that is the only thing that is visible today.
“Some people do argue that local government administration had functioned in the past, I asked them if some of these towns are no more in existence? Where are the boreholes, drainages and roads you claimed the past administration before Aregbesola constructed?
“But the one we built under Aregbesola are still in existence. And we created LCDAs. When the LCDAs were created, we observed that the cost of running administration would be expensive, so we introduced Parliamentary System, so as to reduce cost and to have more money in the government treasury.
“Oyetola came and said the parliamentary system is not suitable and they want to introduce presidential system. So, you will see those who are more prudent in terms of administration. You can compare what we have in local governments during Aregbesola’s administration to what the present administration of Oyetola is doing.”
While reflecting on his defection to the PDP, the former Commissioner explained that the role he played and his performance during the 2018 gubernatorial election petition tribunal for Governor Adegboyega Oyetola against Ademola Adeleke stood him out.
Alimi revealed that he made sure the governor’s team during the election petition did not lack resources to persecute the case.
Stressing that the governor and his camp did not appreciate the role he played during the petition tribunal, he stated that he was left with no other option than to leave for the camp which showed appreciation and needed his help.
“Ademola Adeleke discovered my values and the Oyetola legal victory and approached me to work for the success of his gubernatorial ambition.
“The difference between Governor Oyetola and Senator Ademola Adeleke and some of other people in the All Progressives Congress is that they don’t know what we experienced during the 2018 election and at the election petition tribunal.
“However, Senator Adeleke witnessed all our performance at the tribunal and he then saw the potential in us, he discovered us to be a great material to his cause. He approached us to help him on his mandate.”
He maintained that 3000 APC supporters from across 19 local governments defected with him to the PDP.
Prior to his defection, the former outspoken critic of Adegboyega Oyetola had on different fora accused the State governor of deliberately refusing to recognise the role he played to secure the electoral victory at the election tribunal.
He had also openly stated that if he continued in the APC in the State, he was also going to work against the re-election of the APC gubernatorial candidate. Continue Reading
