Senator Ademola Adeleke was Sunday sworn in at the sixth executive governor of Osun state by the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Adepele-Ojo.
The new governor took the oath alongside his deputy, Kola Adewusi.
His late uncle, Isiaka Adeleke, was the first executive governor of the state.
His wives, Titi and Ngozi, among other dignitaries, including the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ifeanyi Okowa, wife of the PDP presidential candidate, Titi Atiku Abubakar, Governors of Edo, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Godwin Obaseki, Emmanuel Udom and Douye Diri, thronged the Osogbo city stadium for the inauguration.
Others dignitaries are former governors of Osun and Oyo states, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Rasheed Ladoja respectively, former deputy governor of Osun state, Erelu Olusola Obada, Senator representing Osun East, Francis Fadahunsi, PDP governorship candidate in Lagos, Dr. Olajide Adediran, former governor of Ekiti, Ayodele Fayose, Otunba Oyewole Fasawe, Hon. Oluwole Oke and Tony Elumelu among others.
First appointments
And in his first appointments, GovernorAdeleke approved the appointment of Alhaji Kassim Akinleye as the Chief of Staff, former chairman of Osogbo local government council, Teslim Igbalaye as the Secretary to the State Government and Malam Rasheed Olawale as the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.
The appointments, the governor said, “take immediate effect.”
Address
And as his first official pronouncement, Adeleke ordered the immediate freezing of the state government’s accounts.
He claimed the erstwhile governor of the state, Adegboyega Oyetola, carried out some actions “maliciously” after he (Adeleke) won the July 16 governorship election, including “hurried” employments without provisions to sustain them.
“My Good People of Osun, since you elected me as your governor on the July 16, 2022, which the Independent National Electoral Commission announced on July 17, 2022, the former Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, maliciously started putting road blocks to make things difficult and almost impossible for the new administration to serve you.
“Mass employment were carried out without budgetary provisions for salary payments for the new employees; even when the state was struggling to pay salaries and deliver other services. Various hurried and criminally backdated contracts were awarded and again without budgetary provisions.
“Appointments of several Obas were hurriedly done without following due process, just to mention a few.
“All efforts to get the governor set up a Transition Committee and submit hand-over notes in line with best practices proved abortive.
“It is therefore my desire to ask for your patience and understanding to give my administration a few weeks to review and sort out all the actions and malicious confusions which the immediate past administration has created since July 17, 2022.
“Those actions were indeed vindictive measures against the people of Osun State for voting them out of office,” Adeleke said.
Giving new orders, he said: “Consequently, I hereby issue the following directives which will be backed up with appropriate Executive orders:
“Immediate freezing of all government accounts in banks and other financial institutions;
“Immediate establishment of a panel to carry out an inventory and recover all government asset.
“An immediate establishment of a panel to review all appointments and major decisions of the immediate past administration taken after July 17, 2022.”
“Let me therefore announce an immediate return to status quo of all fresh appointments, placements and other major decisions taken by the immediate past administration and with effect from the 17th of July, 2022.
“I hereby issue the following directives which will be backed up with appropriate Executive orders: immediate freezing of all government accounts in banks and other financial institutions.
“Immediate establishment of a panel to carry out an inventory and recover all government assets. An immediate establishment of a panel to review all appointments and major decisions of the immediate past administration taken after the 17t July 2022.
“An immediate reversal to the constitutionally recognised name of our state, Osun State. All government insignia, correspondences and signages should henceforth reflect Osun state rather than State of Osun which is unknown to the Nigerian Constitution.”
Adeleke also ordered the reversal of the slogan from State of the Virtue to State of the Living Spring.
Thugs attack Amotekun
However, some hoodlums at the stadium attacked Amotekun corps and took over two motor parks immediately after the swearing-in.
The thugs went to the motor park at the old garage to take over from Kazeem Oyewale (Asiri Eniba) and Oju-irin Olaiya.
Some hoodlums putting on PDP fez caps vandalised all posters and billboards and sat in front of the motor park after chasing away all drivers at the park.
They also went to Jaleyemi area and some parts of Osun, destroying billboards and anything with the inscription of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Field Commander of Amotekun, Comrade Amitolu Shittu, confirmed that five officers of the security network were injured by the hoodlums.
He said: “Five of our men were attacked at the venue of swearing-in. The hoodlums that attacked our men are criminals that are involved in robbery, drug and stealing among others, we have arrested their gang members at a point.
“They are only hiding under political party to launch such attack on us. It has nothing to do with politics. We will not be intimidated by such an attack. We will get rid of them with the support of the government.”
Also, two policemen were reportedly injured by the hoodlums during the attack on motor parks while the number of several residents injured could not be ascertained.
Campaign team, PDP govs hail Adeleke
In its reactions, the Atiku-Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation hailed Adeleke on his inauguration, saying it has set the stage for the streak of victory of the PDP which, it said would climax on May 29, 2023, when its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, would be sworn in too.
The campaign spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement Sunday said: “The people of Osun State are the first beneficiary of the better life which the PDP will be berthing at the national level with effect from May 29, 2023.
“Our campaign commends the People of Osun State for their perseverance in the last four years of pains during which their collectively hard-earned fortunes were ferried to Bourdillon by the ‘Ajele’
“We celebrate the People of Osun State for asserting themselves and liberating their state from the yoke of anguish, misrule and accompanying pains which the All Progressives Congress has come to represent in our nation.”
Ologbondiyan urged Nigerians to reinforce the feat achieved in Osun by being steadfast in their resolve to vote Abubakar in the February 2023 Presidential election.
In a related development, the PDP Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF) also congratulated Senator Adeleke on his inauguration.
A statement by Director-General of the forum, C.I.D. Maduabum said Adeleke’s “July 2022 victory at the polls was a testimony to the gallant efforts, hard work, teamwork, skillful campaigns, efficient resource allocation, openness and humility exhibited by His Excellency over the years saying that at the campaigns, he concentrated on issues that mattered most to Osun people and they, in turn, responded in kind with their votes, bestowing on him and the PDP an earth-shaking victory of historic proportions. This proves once again that God’s time is the best. He chooses the time and the place.”
“This mandate has all the trapping of the love and prayers of the people. The PDP–GF looks forward to a very engaging and prosperous first tenure for Governor Adeleke and enjoins all the people of the state to continue to pray for him, and support him with their undiluted loyalty, as his heart is full of love and concern for their wellbeing.
“Today, the path has been cleared and the light of progress is shining on Osun State. It is now time for the ‘Peoples governor’, a man so much loved by the people, to settle down to develop a roadmap for the rapid development of Osun State. The state deserves the best.
“The Forum, on this historic occasion, celebrates with his family and the people of Osun State who have entrusted leadership to him,” it added.
It will restore Osun glory – Adagunduro
Also, PDP National Vice Chairman South-west Hon Olasoji Adagunodo has said the return of PDP administration would restore the glory of Osun state and bring succour to the people.
Adagunodo, in a statement Sunday, said: “We rejoice with and congratulate Governor Ademola Adeleke on his swearing as the sixth executive governor of Osun. We have no doubt in our minds that Osun will witness a greater dimension of economic growth and development in your quest to move the state to a better position.”
“Mr Governor, it is not in doubt that your passion and commendable commitment to serve humanity remain unparalleled. It may, however, interest you to know that participatory democracy and governance is the in-thing now.
“It is our firm prayers that God will continue to lead and direct you right for the benefit of the people you sworn to lead and for the greatest good of the PDP,” he added.
Oyetola vows to return
But former Governor Oyetola has vowed to return to office, just as he said he left N14 billion in the state’s coffers for his successor.
In his farewell message in Osogbo, Oyetola stated that his administration paid N97 billion of the debt it inherited in 2018 when he assumed office.
His media aide, Ismaila Omipidan, said this in a statement made available to journalists Sunday and obtained by Blueprint.
Oyetola also said his administration did not borrow any money from anywhere to finance the state’s economy, insisting he kept faith and maintained fidelity with his electoral promises throughout his tenure.
He said: “We are leaving behind cash balance of more than N14 billion. In addition to the N14 billion cash, another N8 billion is being expected between December and January 2023 from our performance in States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability programme (SFTAS) and from Internally Generated Revenue.
“SFTAS is a government programme designed to advance fiscal transparency, accountability and sustainability of states of the federation.
“For four years, we did not take any bank loan. We benefitted from the N3 billion monthly interventions by the Federal Government to all the states for six months to cushion the effect of deductions of budget support facility and salary bailouts taken by the previous administration.
“We paid N97 billion from the total debt we inherited in 2018.”
Oyetola further said the state was expecting 72 million dollars from other programmes and from the NG-CARES programme of the federal government, among several others, adding “these are earned, based on performance. And we have indeed performed to earn them.’’
The former governor said his administration put the state’s economy on a surer footing through its people-centred and masses-focused projects, promptly executed to make life worthwhile for the people.
He asserted that the state’s economy stabilised during his tenure giving the sharp increase in its GDP.
Oyetoal said: “As I step aside today following the conclusion of the four-year tenure you freely gave me, I thank God and I thank the people of Osun for your support, cooperation and prayers over the years.
“I recall how the journey began four years ago; how by your belief in me and your conviction in the plans and programmes of our party, the All Peoples Congress (APC), you exercised your right to vote for me.
“As we draw the curtains on this first tenure, we are convinced that we neither reneged on our promise nor disappointed you.
“We kept faith with you and maintained fidelity with our electoral promises.”
Expressing confidence in his return to the office, he said: “As a law-abiding citizen and government, we are stepping aside to allow the law to take its course.
“We look forward to continue to serve you in no distant future. We have absolute trust in God that we shall be back soon as we have implicit trust and confidence in the Judiciary to do justice in the case before it.’’
“The sun shall shine again, brighter and warmer and the sustainable development and participatory governance that we enthroned, which were applauded by local and international organisations, shall be restored and put on a surer and better footing.
“There can be no substitute to people-oriented and development-savvy governance in a democracy.
“The taproots of the unprecedented good governance, inclusive and participatory governance that we introduced, which delivered massive equitable projects and programmes, are too strong to be uprooted.
“As we end our first term, rest assured that Osun is more stable economically than we met it in 2018 and it remained the most peaceful state in the country under our leadership,’’ he stated.
