Contracts Panel: Osun APC afraid of its past — PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun state has lambasted the state’s All Progressive Congress (APC) for questioning the decision of Governor Ademola Adeleke to implement the white paper on contract awards during Oyetola’s administration.

The party also tasked the implementation panel to set to work immediately.

The Osun State Government during the course of the week had announced the inauguration of an implementation panel to look into the contracts awarded by the Adegboyega Oyetola administration.

The Osun PDP reacting to the APC comments on the implementation committee on the White Paper in a statement by the state Chairman, Sunday Bisi said the APC was jittery that its four years in government from 2018 to 2022 is about to be exposed for criminal prosecution.

Affirming that the PDP government is not embarking on any fresh probe, the party chairman submitted that Governor Adeleke is only giving effect to the outcome of the Executive Order he issued when he assumed office in 2022.

“The contract review committee conducted an extensive investigation on contracts awarded from 2018 to 2022. It sat between late 2022 to 2023 with many top officials of the Oyetola administration appearing before it. The huge report of the committee was followed with a White Paper recommendations for which the Governor has now set up a committee for implementation.

"The implementation panel is the final stage of a process that started in 2022. The day of reckoning is here, hence the trepidation within the State APC. When Oyetola officials appeared before the review committee, a lot of fraudulent irregularities, serious breach of procurement laws, diversion of billions of naira, non-execution of fully paid contracts and barefaced theft of state assets were discovered and documented.

"The government has a responsibility to bring to book culprits within the legal framework. The state government is obliged to ensure the implementation of the white paper irrespective of failed blackmail by perpetrators of yesterday’s corruption. The state needs no permission of corrupted agents of yesteryears as to when and how the law should take its course.

"If the Oyetola regime was that saintly, how come its officials during testimonies before the review committee practically collapsed when confronted with evidence of their misdeeds? How come the Osun APC itself is crying wolf when its antii-people records are about to be shown to the whole world?

"As a party, we also submit that the state government is in full compliance with the procurement laws as all allegations from the opposition are meant to derail the state government from implementing the multi-billion naira infrastructure plan. The execution of projects are ongoing and they will be delivered before the mid-term of this administration.

"We also strongly submit that no member of the Adeleke family is involved in any state contract as we firmly refute allegations against Dr Deji Adeleke and Mr David Adeleke. The family is only supporting and rightly so, one of their own to deliver on good governance in Osun state.

"While the party called on relevant state agencies to give effect to extant laws on spreading of fake news, it declared that freedom of speech is not equal to maligning, seditious, libelous and character assasination through fake news."

The party commended Governor Adeleke for demonstrating statesmanship by his resolve to implement the white paper on the Contract review committee.

They also urged the Committee members to deploy the law to bring culprits to book.