The opposition party in Oyo State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked Governor Seyi Makinde to explain how he allegedly utilised a N50 billion relief fund received from President Bola Tinubu following the January 2024 explosion that damaged houses and other property at Bodija Government Reserved Area in Ibadan
Besides, the broom party asked Governor Makinde to resign as Governor of Oyo State, just as the APC critised and accused the People’s Democratic Party, PDP’s governor of failing to account for the alleged fund.
Olawale Sadare, APC Publicity Secretary in Oyo State, in a statement on Sunday, said, regarding the Bodija explosion, Governor Makinde had claimed to have spent N4.5 billion on victims, but without providing detailed records to show beneficiaries or disbursements.
“Now that his close friend and fellow party man has disclosed that a whopping N50 billion was actually paid into the coffers of the Oyo State Government as a Relief Fund by the Federal Government, Governor Makinde should realise that a flippant reaction by his media aide cannot be enough, as the whole world needs to know what he did with the money”, he said.
Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose had during a live interview on a Lagos-based private television station on Friday alleged that Governor Makinde received the funds on behalf of the victims when he visited President Tinubu to brief him on the incident.
Read also: Oyo govt approves ₦4.5bn for Bodija explosion victims
The former governor alleged that Makinde neither publicly acknowledged the receipt of the money nor deployed it to provide relief for victims who lost their lives and property in the explosion.
Sadare in the statement also faulted Governor Makinde’s recent remarks against President Tinubu and the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.
Governor Makinde had, during a recent media chat, claimed that he declined a request by the President to help organise the APC in Oyo State and was also quoted as saying that the Minister of Power lacks the capacity to deliver.
He dismissed Governor Makinde’s claim about reorganising the APC in the State, insisting that the party never required such a political intervention, describing the governor as a beneficiary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform for two consecutive terms.
Sadare said the governor became “the new face of sleaze” shortly after assuming office in 2019, alleging that he reviewed existing Government contracts and inflated their costs.
“And lastly, it should be on record that there was never a time when Oyo APC required reorganisation in the hands of Makinde, who has emerged the Chief Pallbearer of the PDP, which gave him the platform to serve as governor for two consecutive terms.
“As it stands now, the least among the prospective gubernatorial aspirants in our party possesses greater capacity to be innovative, creative, and successful as the state governor than the one who merely celebrates window dressing and inflicts hardship on property owners and other residents across the State”, he added.
Sadare concluded that prospective Governorship aspirants within the APC possess greater capacities to govern the State, accusing Governor Makinde of “window dressing” policies, which he claimed, had inflicted more hardship on the residents and property owners across Oyo State.
