- We’ve Cleared Debts Incurred By APC Govts–Adeleke
- Stop Blaming Us For Your Ineptitude — APC
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The last has not been heard about the contrasting views being expressed by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) over the debt profile of Osun State
This is as a claim credited to Governor Ademola Adeleke’s aide has sparked a fresh war of words between the two parties.
In a statement on Sunday, Adeleke’s spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, said the state’s debt portfolio had reduced over the last two years following repayments by the current administration.
Rasheed dismissed a recent online report suggesting that Adeleke’s government had increased the state’s debt burden and accused the APC of orchestrating the publication.
“The truth remains that Osun State debt profile has actually reduced under the leadership of Governor Ademola Adeleke in the last two years. Data doesn’t lie and cannot be hidden,” Rasheed said.
Quoting figures from the Debt Management Office, Rasheed stated: “The domestic debt of Osun was N148.37bn as at December 2022, but it has now reduced to N86.06bn as at June 2024. Similarly, foreign debt as at December 2022 was $91.78m, but it has now reduced to $78.17m as at June 2024.
“What this also means in terms of figures is that Governor Adeleke has paid back N62.31bn in domestic debt and $13.61m in foreign debt. This is the burden the APC-led past administration imposed on the people of the state. If this administration didn’t inherit those debts, these amounts would have been better used for the good people of Osun State.”
However, APC’s spokesperson in the state, Kola Olabisi, dismissed the claims, challenging the credibility of the figures cited by Rasheed.
“Whatever he is pushing to the public now regarding the state debt portfolio is an afterthought which cannot be relied upon,” Olabisi said. “We didn’t cook what was published as it affects the debt portfolio of the state government under Adeleke. It is in the public domain already. Where did Olawale get his own figures?”
Olabisi further accused the Adeleke administration of using the APC as a scapegoat for its alleged shortcomings. “They can’t continue to blame us for their ineptitude,” he added.
The disagreement highlights ongoing tensions between the two political parties, as they continue to dispute the financial legacy and management of Osun State.
Recall that Adeleke, in November, had taken a swipe at the two successive APC administrations before him stressing that he had outperformed them when it comes to gratuity payments to retirees in the state.
Adeleke claimed to have disbursed over N47 billion in gratuity payments to retirees since taking office in November 2022.
He noted that this achievement have surpassed the combined records of his two immediate successors, Rauf Aregbesola and Adegboyega Oyetola, who paid N34.4bn over 12 years.
