TheCable

A faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun loyal to Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior, has asked the state government to focus on accountability rather than engage in “smear campaign” against the previous administration.

The APC crisis in the state took a new turn when Aregbesola declared his support for the Rasaq Salinsile-led APC faction in Osun on January 14, during a gathering in Ilesa.

Following his declaration, Gboyega Famodun, the Osun APC chairman, had said Aregbesola’s statement was below expectation, considering the position he holds in the country. 

But the Rasaq Salinsile-led faction had described Famodun as a “failed administrator who is unfit to manage the affairs of the party”.

Speaking on the development, Ismail Omipidan, the governor’s spokesperson, said some persons in the state have embarked on a plot to discredit the achievements of Gboyega Oyetola, governor of Osun.

However, in a response to Omipidan’s statement on Monday, Abiodun Agboola, the factional publicity secretary, said allegations by the governor’s spokesperson are unfounded.

“The case of The Osun Mastermind Group is just the latest of such groups, faceless individuals and members of the cabinet that have been assigned to attack and blackmail the former governor, Rauf Aregbesola,” Agboola said.

“When throwing stones, you should be mindful of where they land. You have set the group to malign Aregbesola. But now that it is clear that you sat over all affairs concerning loans and funds allocation, the ball is in the governor’s court to tell Osun people which loans were taken and how they were spent.

“Was it not under this same administration that Aregbesola was falsely accused of suspending promotion of staff since 2012 by Oyetola himself?

“Did a member of the cabinet of the governor not openly accuse Aregbesola of borrowing N16.5 billion at interest rates over 20 percent to build high schools?

“It is on record that a member of cabinet of the governor accused Aregbesola of using the highly popular and impactful Osun Youths Empowerment Scheme (OYES) to siphon state funds?  

“Were media organisations not misinformed that asphalting of Gbongan-Akoda road had to be redone and paid for by Oyetola?

“Can the people of Osun forget how the Oyetola government has deliberately accused Aregbesola of poor execution of the mega schools and caused their depopulation?  

“Were the people not misinformed that payments of the high schools were not duly processed and backed up by payment vouchers?

“Virtually every programme that earned our party accolades and made it an unbeatable party have been denigrated and diminished by the governor. How then can such a governor come out now to allege any plot against his administration?

“Accountability and transparency in governance is not the same thing as smear campaigns. It is clear that the people of Osun are asking questions over issues bordering on finance and what the governor has done with what he inherited. It is the duty of the governor to answer them and not whip up undue sentiments to muddle up the water.”