THE Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Osun State and its governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, have locked horns with Governor Rauf Aregbesola, over N16.67 billion allegedly release by the Federal Government for the September 22 election, calling, “it a height of wickedness for a government that has not been able to pay its workforce to propose to spend a humongous amount of N16.67 billion on election just to perpetrate itself in power.
In a release by on its behalf by the Secretary Labour/CLO of SDP, the party alleged that the money was “clandestinely released to Osun State government from the last tranche of the Paris Club recently.”
It urged Governor Aregbesola and his party, APC, to consider the plight of Osun workers and pensioners by paying their outstanding salaries, “now that he’s in possession of such humongous money,” while admonishing the governor “not to waste the money on the election but to put it to a better use.”
SDP wondered “how a governor that has not been able to pay salaries and other benefits of the workers for the past three years could spend “over N5 billion on posters and billboards alone just to install his stooge in government.”
Describing as wrong the time of the release of such money to Osun State, the party alleged that “the governor is a spendthrift who will waste no time to waste the money.”
SDP stated: “Releasing such money to Osun State alone out of the 36 states of the federation further raises high suspicion that the money was released to him to prosecute the coming election.
“This desperation on the part of Osun APC to perpetrate themselves in power won’t help as the people of the state are wise enough to see this booby trap and will avoid it”
“This government knows that it has failed the masses and unable to deliver on its promises to them, hence the result to heavily monetise the coming election.
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“No wonder they’ve been boasting and bragging that even if they get two votes in the coming election their candidate will still be declared the winner.
“It is baffling to hear from a party that wants to sincerely win an election in a state like Osun to call the bluffs of workers and even told some that their party will win without workers support.”
It, therefore, called on INEC and security agencies saddled with the responsibilities of conducting free and fair elections not to compromise in the coming election in the state, urging the citizens of the state to be abreast of the government’s plans.
The party had alleged that the money which is the last tranche of Paris Club, was secretly released to Osun State, saying, it was an amount other state governments had condemned as too much and “more than what three states should share.”
“Other governors are said to be miffed at the mode of releasing the money, the humongous amount released and why singling out Osun for such release especially in this period,” SDP said in the release.
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