The Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken a swipe at Governor Ademola Adeleke and his family over a hefty N1 billion donation to the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Lagos. The APC has questioned the timing and source of this massive donation, given that Osun State is reportedly on the brink of financial insolvency.
Why It Matters
According to reports from PUNCH Online, Olawale Rasheed, the spokesperson for Governor Adeleke, confirmed that the governor’s elder brother, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, made the donation to the church’s Centenary Endowment Fund during a recent event in Lagos. This move has stirred the political pot, with the Osun APC claiming that such an extravagant gift is highly inappropriate given the state’s dire financial situation.
Tajudeen Lawal, the chairman of the Osun APC, did not hold back in his criticism. In a fiery statement, he labeled the donation a reckless use of questionable resources at a time when the state’s finances are stretched thin and many governmental obligations remain unfunded. Lawal accused Governor Adeleke and his siblings of frivolously spending money while the state suffers, calling the donation “morally wrong.”
While Lawal clarified that the APC does not oppose supporting religious groups, he stressed that such actions should be carried out with “utmost decency” and not from what he implied might be Osun State’s funds. He implied that Governor Adeleke’s lavish donation was a misuse of public resources, veiled under the guise of a charitable act, and criticized the governor’s flamboyant public behavior, which he claims is unbefitting of his position.
What They Are saying
Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Rasheed, was quick to dismiss these allegations as baseless, reiterating that the N1 billion donation was personally made by Dr. Deji Adeleke, a billionaire in his own right, and had no ties to Osun State funds. Rasheed slammed the APC for spreading “barefaced lies and fake news,” suggesting that the party is desperately concocting stories due to a lack of legitimate criticism.
He also reminded the public of Dr. Adeleke’s past generosity towards the state and federal governments, including significant contributions during the COVID-19 crisis under the previous administration. Rasheed emphasized that neither Governor Adeleke nor the state government made any donations during the Lagos event, underscoring that all contributions came solely from Dr. Adeleke.
Rasheed accused the APC of hallucinating and grasping at straws, especially after the engineering community recently validated Osun’s infrastructure projects, a move that evidently caught the opposition off guard. He questioned why the APC would lambast such credible evaluations when similar assessments were conducted in APC-governed states like Lagos and Ogun..
Bottom Line
So here we are, watching the APC cry foul over an act of charity while conveniently forgetting their own lackluster performance when they were in power. It seems the real issue isn’t the donation itself, but the fact that it’s making headlines, something the APC apparently craves. As the saying goes, “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” but it seems the APC is doing just that, hoping for a bit of the limelight.
