16th December, 2021
Former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola has rubbished claims by former Interim Chairman, APC, Chief Bisi Akande that he wrongly accused him of corruption.
He vowed to expose Akande in his new book which would soon be published.
Oyinlola in a statement on Thursday to defend himself of the allegations levelled against him by Akande in his autobiography, “My Participations,” said the APC chieftain lied that he wrongly accused him of corruption in the construction of the Governor’s Office (Bola Ige House).
“I did not level any false charges against him. I came into office in May 2003 and discovered that the Governor’s Office complex which Akande commissioned for use after he lost the election was really not completed,” he said.
Oyinlola explained that the state government asked the contractor to come back to site and complete the works, more so when evidence in government accounts showed that he had been paid.
He said the project consultant shocked everyone with his claim that part of the payment was taken back to finance the 2003 re-election bid of Chief Akande.
According to Oyinlola, the consultant said the contractor could not go back to work unless he was paid his full dues, adding that one of Akande’s own appointees confessed collecting money from this contractor for Akande’s re-election.
The former military administrator added that he consulted Akande on this and that he denied having any deal with the contractor and the consultant.
He said some people were subsequently taken to court on a seven-count criminal charge, but that stakeholders in the state and Alhaji Arisekola Alao later intervened.
“I have the details of who collected how much in my forthcoming book,” he said.
Oyinlola further said Akande wrote that he wanted to build on a site on Ilesa road in Osogbo which he stopped and that he found it strange that Akande, who boasted that he was prudent and honest as governor, awarded the construction of a Government House in his last days in office, after he lost the election, and in advance, paid the contractors the entire contract sum of N800 million.
He stated that Akande confirmed this strange payment on page 393 of his book, stressing that this was a man who said there was no money to pay workers and pensioners but that he had enough to pay a contractor in advance for a government house after losing his re-election.
Oyinlola said in any case, the state already had an ongoing Government House started by the military government which Akande refused to complete, saying that he completed the project and added chalets plus a presidential lodge.
He stated that everything was completed and commissioned within his first year in office, saying that the state had continued to use the structures till date.