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By Lateef Adegbite
In spite of efforts by Gboyega Oyetola, a former governor of Osun state and political ally of Aswaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, popular, Jagaban, Presidential Candidate of the party for the 2023, general elections, to reclaim his gubernatorial mandate by heading to the state governorship election tribunal to challenge Senator Ademola Adeleke, of the Opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, who had won him in the July 16, 2022, election, the later has been sworn in as the governor of the state in a ceremony attended by top dignitaries and hundreds of residents, including the revered Oni of Ife, Oba, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Sunday, November 27, 2022 .
Until Justice Adepele Ojo, the state Chief Judge, sworn him in to replace Oetola, the former governor of the state, he had repeatedly sworn ‘’to reclaim his mandate ‘’, saying he has ‘’no fears about proceedings at the Osun state Governorship Election Tribunal’’but Senator Adeleke, had told him that he has no mand ate to reclaim, advising him ‘’to stop hallucinating over his persistent claim to retrieve his mandate’’.
Senate Adeleke may have given an insight to what he will do on his first day in office by drawing the attention to the people of the state ‘’to the rabid pillaging of the state assets since the July 16, 2022, election in the state, threatening to cover every lost asset of the state .
He had said that’’ former Gov. Oyetola and his team will have their day the people’s panel of inquiry’’. True to his words, he has established a panel of inquiry ‘to carry out an inventory and recover all government assets, particular government vehicles and houses in their care, which may have been converted into private property.
Besides setting up panel of inquiry to recover government assets from Gov.Oyetola and his team, he was said to have accused him of ‘’emptying the treasury and laying bobby traps for the people of the state’’ as his parting gift.
This may have informed why he has frozen the accounts of the state government in various Commercial banks and other financial institutions operating in the country to prevent the former governor and his team, from further dipping their hand into the state treasury to withdraw money to run a non-existent government. Former governor Oyetola will not take t from his successor that he had left an empty treasury, stating that he left behind N14 billion cash in the state treasury.
Senator Adeleke, may have made his predecessor to understand that the bulk now stops on his able as he had ‘’reversed the state’s name’’, from the state of Osun, which is not known in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria , as amended to the real name, Osun state.
He has made clear to those cares to listen that ‘’all government insignia, correspondences and signages should henceforth reflect Osun state rather than the state of Osun which is unknown in the Nigerian Contitution.
Note that he decision by the incumbent Osun state governor to frozen the state accounts in Commercial banks and reverse the state’s name, was said to have been contained in his inaugural speech as the south west state governor, saying that ‘’the move will be backed by’’ the appropriate Executive Orders’’.
Senator Adeleke, who could not hide his feelings had lamented that former governor Oyetola, in his last days in office, took some malicious actions against him including the appointment of Permanent Secretaries, without leaving such appointments for the new government to handle.
It was not surprising why he was said to have also established a pane ‘’to review all last minute appointments made by the former governor and his team. The panel was said to have also been mandated to review all the major decisions of the past Administration that were taken after July, 17, 2022, and make their recommendations. There are indications that most of the hasty decisions that were taken by the Administration would be voided.
The dancing Osun governor, may have gladdened the heart of the people, when he gave his words ‘’to serve them but lamented that the former Gov. Oyetola, left may uncompleted projects across the state, describing ‘’the challenges ahead of the new Administration as enormous’’.
Senate Adeleke, who could beat his cheat that he will deliver on his electioneering Campaign promises to the people of the state had made it clear that he is conscious of the enormous challenges and responsibilities entrusted upon his Leadership in the state. He has vowed ‘’to tackle and solve all the problems of poverty , illiteracy , disease and poor infrastructure , left behind by the former Administration, headed by Oyetola, with ‘’a high sense of urgency, transparency, justice and innovation’’.
He was said to have sounded a note of warning to the government workers and the Contractors engaged by the state government in the execution of projects that ‘’it is no longer going to business as usual’’. He was emphatic. ‘’Let me state here that from education , health, mining sector , agriculture , road infrastructure to supply of portable water in the state, everybody must sit up to make the difference with the immediate past Administration.
The dancing Osun governor was said to have further assured the people of the state from his first hour workday and night, with a deep sense of purpose , he will be a servant Leader to the people of the state.
The Osun governor may have set the ball rolling by making his first kitchen appointments barely 24 hours in office. He was said to have appointed Teslim Igblaye, as Secretary to the government, and Kazeem Akinleye as his Chief of Staff while Rasheed Olawale, will serve as his Chief Press Secretary. More political appointments are expected to be made soon while the list of the Commissioners will be forwarded to the state House of Assembly for Consideration as the new government stabilizes.
