BASELESS PETITION BY OYIGG: OSUN STATE GOVERNMENT REJECTS SPURIOUS, DEFAMATORY AND MALICIOUS ALLEGATIONS

OSOGBO – 06/05/2026 – Osunstate.gov.ng

The Osun State Government has noted with utter dismay the laughable, hollow and intellectually bankrupt petition reportedly authored by a faceless and spineless group styling itself as the Osun Youths Initiative for Good Governance (OYIGG), and purportedly signed by one Dr. Adeyemi Akande, wherein a cocktail of falsehood, conjecture, malice and reckless innuendo was assembled and mischievously dressed up as a petition to anti-graft agencies.

Ordinarily, the Osun State Government would not dignify such a vapid and politically contrived exercise in blackmail with a response. However, in view of the need to set the records straight and prevent the deliberate poisoning of public discourse by serial merchants of falsehood, this rejoinder has become necessary.

Let it be stated in the clearest possible terms that the allegations of “multi-billion naira infrastructure fraud,” “mismanagement of public funds,” “impropriety in project execution,” and the laughable claim of “diverting sundry monies received by the State from the Federal Government without legislative approval” are baseless, spurious, malicious, unfounded and entirely lacking in substance. These allegations exist only in the fertile imagination of their sponsors and bear no resemblance whatsoever to the fiscal realities, budgetary processes and governance standards in Osun State.

For the avoidance of doubt, the specific allegations made against the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, and the Accountant-General of the State, Mr. Rasheed Olalere Alabi, accusing them of unlawfully diverting funds received from the Federal Government without legislative approval, are false, reckless, spurious and utterly devoid of factual or legal foundation.

These allegations are not only deliberately misleading, but betray either a shocking ignorance of the constitutional framework governing public finance in Nigeria or a wilful attempt to misinform the public and malign public officials discharging their duties in accordance with extant laws and established financial regulations.

At no time has the Chief of Staff to the Governor, who is not the custodian of state treasury nor the statutory authorising authority for public disbursement, diverted any public funds, whether directly or by proxy. The attempt to rope the Office of the Chief of Staff into concocted allegations of financial diversion is as ridiculous as it is malicious.

Similarly, the allegation against the Accountant-General of the State, Mr. Rasheed Olalere Alabi, is patently false, defamatory and unsustainable. As the State’s chief accounting officer, the Accountant-General operates strictly within the confines of extant financial regulations, appropriation laws, treasury circulars and due authorisation procedures. Every inflow received from the Federation Account and other lawful channels is processed, documented and appropriated in line with constitutional and statutory provisions.

The claim that “sundry monies” were diverted without legislative approval is therefore a dishonest fabrication designed to mislead the public and create a false impression of financial misconduct where none exists. It is a crude distortion of public finance procedures by individuals either ignorant of governmental fiscal operations or wilfully committed to spreading falsehood.

The Osun State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, has maintained an unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability, due process and prudent financial management. This is not a matter of rhetoric; it is a matter of verifiable public record.

Indeed, Osun State has consistently ranked commendably in independent fiscal accountability assessments, particularly in the widely respected BudgIT Fiscal Transparency League Table, which tracks state performance in transparency, accountability, procurement openness and public financial management. In the Fourth Quarter assessment, Osun State earned a remarkable 100% score, placing it among the best-performing states in Nigeria in fiscal transparency and public accountability.

This independently verifiable record completely destroys the dishonest narrative being peddled by OYIGG and its sponsors. A government that has consistently opened its books to public scrutiny, complied with fiscal reporting obligations, and earned top-tier transparency ratings cannot simultaneously be accused without evidence of concealing multi-billion naira fraud or diverting statutory revenues outside lawful appropriation channels.

The petition by OYIGG is therefore not only hollow; it is self-evidently contradictory, irresponsible and malicious.

It is important to emphasize that this administration has nothing to hide. Governor Ademola Adeleke’s government has consistently subjected its finances, procurement processes and project execution mechanisms to lawful scrutiny and remains open to any legitimate review by constitutionally empowered institutions. That is the hallmark of a government confident in the integrity of its processes and the propriety of its actions.

What the Osun public is witnessing is not civic vigilance, but a poorly scripted political stunt by attention-seeking actors masquerading as civil society advocates while acting as hired propagandists for vested interests threatened by the growing credibility, performance and public acceptance of the Adeleke administration.

Even more reprehensible is the reckless and defamatory attempt by Dr. Adeyemi Akande and his group to drag the names of Dr. Deji Adeleke and Chief Mrs. Dupe Adeleke-Sanni into their cesspool of fabricated allegations.

For the avoidance of doubt, Dr. Deji Adeleke and Chief Mrs. Dupe Adeleke-Sanni are not officials of the Osun State Government. They hold no public office, exercise no statutory governmental authority, and play no role in the administration, appropriation, custody or disbursement of public funds on behalf of the Osun State Government.

Their gratuitous inclusion in the said petition is therefore not only reckless and irresponsible, but also clearly defamatory, malicious and actionable in law.

Dr. Deji Adeleke is a globally respected entrepreneur, industrialist and investor with extensive business interests built over decades through legitimate private enterprise, while Chief Mrs. Dupe Adeleke-Sanni is an accomplished businesswoman with thriving independent commercial interests. To suggest, imply or insinuate that either individual is dependent on public resources or involved in the administration of Osun State finances is not only false and malicious, but patently absurd.

Such irresponsible and defamatory mudslinging exposes the desperation, shallowness and ulterior motives of the petitioners, whose real objective is not accountability, but calculated character assassination.

The Osun State Government therefore rejects the said petition in its entirety and describes it as a tissue of lies, a compilation of baseless accusations, and a politically motivated hatchet job designed solely to mislead the public, malign innocent persons, and distract from the monumental governance strides being recorded in Osun State.

We urge members of the public, the media and relevant institutions to treat the so-called petition for what it truly is: a malicious, empty and defamatory propaganda document unworthy of serious consideration.

Osun State remains committed to transparent governance, responsible fiscal management, infrastructure renewal and people-focused development. No amount of sponsored falsehood, coordinated smear campaign or desperate political blackmail will derail this administration’s unwavering commitment to service, accountability and sustainable progress for the good people of Osun State.

Signed:
Oluomo Kolapo Alimi,
Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment