A war of words has erupted between the Osun State chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following comments made by Governor Ademola Adeleke at the South-West Stakeholders’ Dialogue in Akure, Ondo State. The APC alleges that Governor Adeleke attacked President Bola Tinubu over the marginalization of Osun State and the withholding of local government funds, while the PDP insists that no such attack occurred.
According to the APC, Governor Adeleke has made it a habit to blame President Tinubu for his administration’s shortcomings, citing the recent Akure summit as an example. The party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, stated that the governor accused the Federal Government of undermining the Constitution by withholding Osun’s local government funds despite a subsisting court order and of marginalizing the state in federal dealings.
Olabisi also claimed that the President deserves credit for Adeleke’s achievements in the education and health sectors, listing various federal interventions in Osun State. He accused Adeleke of mismanaging state resources while shifting blame to the Federal Government. However, the PDP dismissed the APC’s allegations as false and malicious, insisting that Governor Adeleke never attacked President Tinubu at the Akure summit.
The PDP’s Director of Media, Hezekiah Oladele Bamiji, described the APC’s claims as a figment of imagination and maintained that the governor’s presentation was focused on intergovernmental relations and constitutional issues, not a personal attack on the President. Governor Adeleke’s remarks were aimed at strengthening federal-state cooperation rather than provoking political tension, the party added.
At the Akure summit, Governor Adeleke, who was represented by his deputy, Kola Adewusi, canvassed for the protection of the rights of sub-national governments as a deliberate strategy to deepen democratic practices and sustenance of democracy. He emphasized that party differences should not warrant unfair treatment of any sub-national government and that collaboration for development should be the operating norms.
The exchange between the two parties highlights the ongoing tensions between the state and federal governments, with the PDP urging the public to disregard the falsehood being circulated by the opposition. As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold and what implications it may have for the relationships between the state and federal governments.