*Nigeria not Banana Republic, we must set integrity standards in governance
The Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN) has called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the Senator representing Ogun West in the National Assembly, Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi), over series of allegations hanging on his neck, especially the alleged appropriations and project scandals that have triggered deeper economic pains for Nigerians even after fuel subsidy removal.
The civil society organisation said, until he clears his name, Senator Adeola has no business contesting for any elective position in 2027 or in the future, stressing that “Nigeria is not a Banana Republic that can be operated as a private commercial enterprise.”
In a statement signed by its President, Dr. Oluwole Oladapo, and titled “Senator Solomon Adeola (Yayi) Cannot Go Into An Election Without Clearing Allegations of Appropriation Corruption”, TAN said Nigeria was too big to allow such scandals to be swept under the carpet without security agencies inviting the Senator.
Adeola, the 2027 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State, has been enmeshed in series of controversies, ranging from perjury to corruption practices allegations as Chairman of Appropriations Committee.
The statement said, “As an organisation committed to public integrity, TAN asserts that there is nowhere in the civilised world where an individual aspiring to a public office of such great significance would be allowed to contest without satisfactorily clearing his name of serious ethical clouds.
“The ongoing reliance on the power of incumbency to shove candidates down the throats of the electorate without addressing fundamental crises of integrity undermines the core values of our democratic space.”
Advocating for Adeola’s immediate disqualification from the 2027 gubernatorial race, the group warned relevant agencies against taking the matter with levity.
TAN also called for investigation into Adeola’s role as Appropriations Committee Chairman, noting that repeated claims that the APC candidate inserted untraceable or duplicated projects in the budget and allocated funds to agencies outside their statutory mandates, should not be swept under the carpet.
“Beyond identity disputes, we are calling on relevant anti-corruption agencies to immediately intervene and investigate the Senator’s performance as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations,” the statement said.
The group referenced a petition by PASSEC against Adeola, stating, “It seems to us that the petition by The Pan African Society for Social & Economic Change (PASSEC) submitted to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that alleged irregularities in federal budgets between 2023 and 2026, claiming the insertion of untraceable or duplicated projects and the allocation of funds to agencies outside their statutory mandates has been left unattended.
“All Nigerians are aware of the scandalous and epileptic nature of annual budget implementation in this country. The citizens cannot just focus on the Executive organ of government alone because most of these unprecedented budgetary break-and-quench anomalies are caused by the malfunctioning of the Appropriations Committee of the National Assembly which Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) presides over. The entire mess originates from there.”
“The democratic values of our nation are at stake when serious allegations are glossed over by political structures. We cannot treat allegations of this magnitude as mere political noise,” TAN President declared.
To this end, the Transparency and Accountability Network of Nigeria demanded an immediate intervention by security agencies, saying that relevant law enforcement and anti-graft agencies must thoroughly investigate the statutory claims and financial oversight tracks associated with the senator’s office.
“We call on political parties to refrain from bypassing ethical scrutiny in the deployment of candidates for significant public offices,” TAN said.
The group maintained that Democratic accountability must remain the foundation of true leadership.
“Therefore, we demand that until all these allegations have been properly and satisfactorily cleared, all processes regarding the Senator’s governorship ambition should be put on hold.
“As a matter of fact, he deserves to be immediately disqualified from the race pending the outcome of a full investigation into all these anomalies being alleged by several stakeholders in Nigeria,” the CSO said.
