TheCable

Rauf Aregbesola, governor of Osun state, has accused the famiy of Isiaka Adeleke of using the late senator’s death to “manipulate the minds” of the people of Ede, Adeleke’s hometown.

The deceased’s family fell out with the state government after the lawmaker’s death.

Speaking at the campaign of Mudashir Husain, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Osun west senatorial election, on Wednesday, Aregbesola said Deji, one of the younger brothers of the deceased, begged him to waive tax of his university.

Deji is the owner of Adeleke University, Ede, Osun.

Aregbesola said since the death of the lawmaker many lies and fabrications have emanated from the family and few of the senator’s loyalists.

The governor was reacting to reports that the Adeleke family helped his re-election and borrowed the state government money to pay workers.

“Deji Adeleke does not have the financial capacity to bail out Osun from its financial challenges even before now, not to talk about lending us money to pay workers’ salaries,” he said.

“If anything at all, it is their family that sought and got favours from the Osun state government under my watch. It is to the glory of God that they got the certificate of occupancy of their university from our government. Why didn’t those who are their new friends give them C of O of that university?

“If Deji Adeleke has so much money, why is he begging me to waive the payable tax of his university? Why cant he just pay?

“I am bold enough to say this over and over again, because I have never sought for assistance from any of the Adeleke’s family even during the life time of Senator Isiaka Adeleke, nothing as such occurred.”

Argebesola, alongside Muniru Lawal, the Timi of Ede, however, sued for peace saying the coming election should not be allowed to cause crisis.

According to him, “anywhere where peace is absent there can be no development.”