Senator Adelere Adeyemi Oriolowo representing Osun West Senatorial District has threatened to drag the Osun State government to court over allegations of his involvement in illegal carting away of government property.
The lawmaker who issued a 7-day ultimatum to retract the claim or face the wrath of law also requested for N500 million as compensation for damaging his reputation and dragging his name into the mud.
Oriolowo at a press conference he addressed in Iwo demanded an unreserved apology from the state government over the false accusation.
He said sometimes in December 2022, the media space was saturated with reports authored by an Assets Recovery Committee of the state set up by Governor Ademola Adeleke indicating that he was in custody of 130G Motor Grader (005132-A321),D6 Bulldozer (OS130-A32), Electric Transformer Feeder Board Panel and Soil Compactor Machine (OS137- A32).
He described the allegations as: “Blatant falsehood, a naked display of recklessness, sacrilegious dereliction of truth and unjustifiable character assassination” adding that since the publication, many well- meaning people within and outside the shores of Nigeria have continuously reached out to him for clarification and solidarity.
“The said equipment which belonged to the then OSSADEP was in existence when I left the agency 15 years ago. To the best of my knowledge, some of them were transferred to the Ministry of Rural Development to assist the government. A simple due diligence or investigation by the committee would have unraveled the salient fact that the equipment is still property of the Osun State Government.
“I was taken aback as to why a committee of the state would jettison the principle of fair hearing by inviting me to defend whatever report they must have gotten. I also reliably gathered that this said committee failed to submit their report to their principal before going to the public to malign my name.
“It is a bit embarrassing for Governor Ademola Adeleke who also happens to be a former lawmaker to be surrounded by neophytes who only wants to play politics and not hit the ground of governance running and the failure of the Governor to play by the rules and his continuous railroading by these sycophants may spell the doom for his teething administration.” Oriolowo said.
