The Vice Chairman for the South West region of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kamorudeen Ajisafe, has criticized the Federal Government for its ongoing withholding of local government allocations intended for councils in Osun State, labeling this action as a violation of human rights.
Ajisafe further expressed that President Bola Tinubu has failed to acknowledge the goodwill shown to him by Governor Ademola Adeleke, asserting that the federal government is denying the people of Osun their essential rights to financial resources and welfare due to political motives.
In response to the seizure of funds during a conversation with journalists yesterday, the PDP leader emphasized that Governor Adeleke deserves recognition for effectively managing the state’s finances despite the lack of local government allocations.
“Ademola Adeleke of Osun has expressed his support for President Bola Tinubu’s second term. Is it not the same President who is withholding local government funds from Osun State?” Ajisafe questioned.
“The citizens of the state are not naive. Were it not for the strong moral and financial standing of the Adeleke family, and the governor’s dedication to good governance, how could the state have endured this financial blockade?” The PDP figure asserted that Adeleke has made personal sacrifices to improve the state, noting that the governor has refrained from taking security votes and has been using his family’s private jets for travel.
He pointed out that Governor Adeleke has been prudent in saving funds to execute various projects within the state, and has also been disbursing the half-salary owed to workers by the APC government, despite the seizure of local government funds.
“If Nigeria were the nation we aspire for it to be, no one would have the authority to seize local government funds. You are infringing upon the fundamental rights of many individuals to financial resources and welfare for political reasons. This constitutes a crime against humanity,” he asserted.
In discussing whether Governor Adeleke made the correct decision in endorsing Tinubu for a second term despite the confiscation of local government funds in the state, the vice chairman remarked: “I cannot hold him accountable for that. It is evident that the governor has good intentions for them, yet they do not reciprocate those intentions towards him. The local government funds of Lagos State were confiscated many years ago, but the state eventually recovered them.
“Currently, the former Lagos State governor is the President of the nation. There is no need to reference the Quran or the Bible to advocate for righteousness. Let us entrust everything to God Almighty.”
