The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has issued a strong demand to Governor Seyi Makinde, urging him to provide a detailed explanation regarding the alleged utilisation of a N50 billion Relief Fund. This substantial fund was purportedly received from President Bola Tinubu in the aftermath of the devastating explosion that occurred at Bodija GRA in January 2024.

The controversy first surfaced when former Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, made a public accusation during a live interview on a Lagos-based television station. Fayose alleged that Governor Makinde obtained the N50 billion on behalf of the victims during his visit to President Tinubu to brief him on the tragic incident. According to Fayose, Governor Makinde has neither acknowledged the receipt of this significant sum nor has he effectively utilised it to provide succour to those who suffered loss of lives and properties in the explosion.

In response to these grave allegations, Olawale Sadare, the Publicity Secretary of the Oyo APC, vociferously criticised Governor Makinde. Sadare’s remarks came after Governor Makinde’s recent media chat, where the governor reportedly made derogatory comments against President Tinubu and the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu. During this media chat, Makinde claimed he had rejected President Tinubu’s request for him to organise the opposition APC in Oyo State and further declared that the Minister of Power lacked the capacity to do so.

In a statement released to LEADERSHIP in Ibadan, Sadare intensified the pressure on Makinde, stating, “Makinde claimed to have spent N4.5bn on the victims even without accountability or proper records to show who got what. Now that his close friend and fellow party man has disclosed that a whopping N50bn was actually paid into the coffers of the Oyo State Government as a Relief Fund by the federal government, Gov. Makinde should know that a flippant reaction by his media aide cannot be enough, as the whole world needs to know what he did with the money.”

Sadare further dismissed Governor Makinde’s assertion about organising the APC, emphasising that the Oyo APC never required reorganisation from him, especially as he has become the ‘Chief Pall Bearer’ of the PDP. The APC spokesperson suggested that even the least prospective gubernatorial aspirants within their party possess greater capacity for innovation and success as governor than Makinde, who, in their view, merely engages in window dressing while inflicting hardship on residents.

The allegations of financial impropriety extended beyond the relief fund. Sadare asserted that Governor Makinde “emerged as the new face of sleaze immediately after he assumed office as the governor of Oyo State in 2019, when he began reviewing existing government contracts and inflated their costs astronomically.” He highlighted a consistent pattern of alleged contract awards without adherence to due process. As evidence, Sadare cited the renovation of Agodi Government House, reportedly awarded at N63.5 billion, and the second phase of the Ibadan Circular Road Project, allegedly awarded at N259 billion, both without proper legal recourse.