APC Demands Probe of Osun Governor’s Aide Over Alleged Contract Fraud
The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for an investigation into Mr. Kazeem Akinleye, the Chief of Staff to Governor Ademola Adeleke, over his alleged involvement in a contract fraud.
In a statement released on Sunday, the APC spokesperson, Mr. Kola Olabisi, urged Governor Adeleke to hand over Akinleye to the Code of Conduct Bureau for investigation. Akinleye is accused of using his position to award a N297 million Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) contract, meant for the University of Osun (UNIOSUN), to his own company, Akinsas Interbiz Limited.
Olabisi emphasized that the allegations against Akinleye are serious enough to warrant immediate action, urging the governor to avoid any delays in probing the matter. “The governor’s explainer that Akinleye is not culpable because he is not a member of the UNIOSUN Governing Council or a member of the board of directors of TETFUND is spurious just as it is vacuous,” Olabisi said.
He further criticized the governor’s stance, questioning whether it implies that public officers can exploit their positions for personal gain under the guise of having resigned from directorships upon taking office. “The drafters of the law did not envisage that a public officer would resign his or her interest in a company only for such a business entity to land mouth-watering contracts in the state where the founder of the company is a key policy maker and administrator,” he added.
Olabisi maintained that while Akinsas Interbiz Limited is at liberty to bid for contracts in any public institution, it becomes “inappropriate” if such activities include competing for contracts in Osun State, where Akinleye holds significant influence.
In response, Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, dismissed the allegations as diversionary. He clarified that Akinleye had resigned as a director of the company before his appointment as Chief of Staff, and therefore could not be held accountable for the company’s business dealings. Rasheed stated, “Akinleye never sat at any meeting or board deliberation where the contract in question was discussed.”
Rasheed also accused the APC of attempting to divert attention from the ongoing forensic investigation by the state’s contract review committee, which has reportedly uncovered multiple irregularities involving former top officials of the previous administration under ex-Governor Gboyega Oyetola.
“The state APC is dead scared of the conclusions of the forensic investigation of the state contract review committee and the white paper implementation committee, which evidentially indicted many former top officials of the last government,” Rasheed added. He emphasized that the committee has gathered substantial evidence and is prepared to proceed with prosecutions.
He further asserted that the APC’s call for an investigation into Akinleye is a failed strategy to discredit top officials in Governor Adeleke’s administration, in light of the forthcoming legal actions against former government officials.
