The Alhaji Rasaq Salinsile-led All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has challenged the Oyetola administration to substantiate its allegation of smear campaign against it.
In a statement by the APC Publicity Secretary, Comrade Biodun Agboola, the party said such allegation was unfounded and that the Oyetola administration should be the one to be reminded of many campaign of calumny it has waged against his predecessor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, since 2018.
It said the Oyetola administration should rather check itself properly as it is being chased by its own shadow “as karma of what he did to his predecessor must be fast catching up with them”.
The party recalled that vigorous and deliberate efforts were made by the governor and his team in feeding the public with falsehood with a view to blackmail Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
The APC said it is amazing that a governor who has spent the last three years maligning and setting up groups to blackmail his predecessor has raised alarm over smear campaigns against him.
“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 made blackmail the former Governor, Rauf Aregbesola.
“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 per cent 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?” the party demanded
Saying the list of falsehood against Aregbesola is endless, the APC said rather than embark on continuation of people-focused and impactful programmes for which Oyetola was part of their execution, the governor has put the state in reverse gear.
“Virtually every programme that earned our party accolades and made it an unbeatable party has been denigrated and diminished by the Governor. He has watched with pleasure how known members of his cabinet have used the social and mainstream media to cause disaffection among party members.
“How then can such a governor come out now to allege any plot against his administration?”
The party said the case of the Osun Masterminds Group, which the government is encouraging to blackmail Aregbesola, has only backfired, adding that the questions the group asked should be answered by the governor.
“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,” the party added.
The party said the governor must know that it is the civic responsibility of the people of the state to ask questions.
“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,” the APC said.
