Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the governors of the ruling party may have raised a whooping N4.7bn to shield Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, from being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State, CSCEO, alleged that the amount may have been raised through a pet project tagged “Operation Save Rauf Aregbesola Project, OSRAP.
Speaking yesterday at a press briefing in Osogbo, the group claimed that it has uncovered a clandestine plan hatched by the leadership of the APC party with sole aim of shielding from the claws of the anti-graft body.
Further, the group alleged that the APC machinery would be turned on a serving Osun State High Court Judge, Justice Olamide Oloyede, for writing a petition to the EFCC against the governor.
The group therefore said part of the “OSRAP” fund has been set aside to prosecute the illegal dismissal of the Judge by the National Judicial Council, NJC.
The Chairman of CSCEO, Comrade Adeniyi Sulaiman urged the apex judicial body to disregard any petition sent against Justice Oloyede, noting that the judge did not commit any of the offences that would be listed against him aside from being on the side of the people on the matter.
“Our organization has uncovered the diabolical plan of the Osinbajo, APC governors and the ruling APC National leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu to squander sum of N4.7 billion to protect Aregbesola from the anti-graft bodies such as the EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related offences Commission, ICPC, from probe over an alleged gross financial misconduct following President Buhari queried to the anti-graft bodies for delaying on the commencement of thorough investigation into the alleged financial impropriety of the State under Aregbesola”.
“However, as we are addressing this press conference, the APC governors have gave consent to raise sum of N2billion, while VP and Tinubu are to drop sum of N2billion for a project tagged OSRAP and Mr. Aregbesola has been directed to release the remaining 700 million, which N100 million part of the sum were released few days to engage two Senior Advocate of Nigerias (SAN) to author a watering Press Statement in favour governor recently as their consultancy fees for their shady job”.
The group lamented the present sorry situation of the State under what it calls ‘the tyrannical and brutal government of Aregbesola’, and urged all lovers of natural, constitutional and social justice all over the world to pay attention to Osun State where Aregbesola government has brought untold hardship and underdevelopment, instead of the desired dividends of democracy to the people.
The Coalition further state, “While Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo agreed to release sum of N1billion for the said project because of his financial interest in the State under Aregbesola, as the Chairman of Slava Yeditepe Construction Company that got the juicy contract of building the Model schools and roads through which the meager resources of the State were siphoned into the private purse of few individuals.”
It added that any matter relating to finance that affects Aregbesola will definitely affects Slava Yeditepe where the VeePee has interest, stressing that it was based on this that the APC governors and Bola Tinubu may have agreed to assist Aregbesola.
He said the group rejected in its entirety the outcome of the State APC House of Assembly Panel on the Oloyede’s petition, as it confirmed the Coalition’s earlier prediction to give clean bill to Mr. Aregbesola and also declared that the courageous Lady Judge was mentally unfit.
“More so, the Coalition has rejected in its entirety the outcome of the shameless panel of the seven-man APC State House of Assembly Panel constituted to investigate the petition written to the Assembly by Justice Oloyede, calling for credible and thorough investigation into the alleged gross financial mismanagement of the state resources on frivolities level against Mr. Rauf Aregbesola and his deputy, Mrs Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, by stating that the petition lacks merit.
“We are not disappointed by the outcome of the House of Assembly panel on the petition, as it justified our earlier prediction of the likely report from panel ad it confirmed the opinion of the downtrodden people of the State that Osun Assembly is the rubber stamp of Aregbesola.
“We also use this medium to reject the panel recommendation that the State Judicial Service Commission and National Judicial Council (NJC) should sanction courageous Justice Folahanmi Oloyede for no just cause than being on the side of the masses”.
“Meanwhile, part of the “OSRAP‘s fund ‘would be used to bribe the members of the National Judicial Council (NJC) through VP for illegal dismissal of Justice Oloyede from the bench, as part of effort to save Aregbesola. But for courageous step of the Judge by using her sacred pen to give direction to the downtrodden masses, Justice Oloyede has written her name in gold for generation yet unborn”.
