OSOGBO — OSUN State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola has described his predecessor in office, Chief Bisi Akande as a pathological liar for not saying the truth about his involvement in the N127 million contract scam in the state.
Addressing newsmen in Osogbo yesterday on government’s position on the alleged “Bola Ige House” scam, Governor Oyinlola denied that he was on a vengeance mission to tarnish the reputation of the former governor.
“May I not succeed if I told lies against Chief Akande over this contract issue, but if he has lied against me, I leave him in God’s hands for judgment,” he said.
“It is obvious that Chief Bisi Akande was eating the boiled yam and oil through somebody’s hand. He did that to avoid the tell tale of oil and crumbs of yam on his fingers. However, an x-tray has revealed the final destination of the yam and oil, and that place, from all intents and purposes, is Chief Akande’s stomach.”
“It is not surprising therefore, that Chief Bisi Akande’s outburst of recent, which clearly portrays him as a confusionist and an incorrigible peddler of falsehood. Since the former Governor has blown the lid off the drum of rot, let me therefore quickly throw more light on the project, Bola Ige House, which has been constructed to serve as the new Governor’s Office.
“It is absolutely unthinkable and unimaginable to suggest that I would want to blackmail my brother, Chief Bisi Akande, on account of his attack on Mr. President. I must confess that Chief Bisi Akande must have been put through the due process but for Chief Obasanjo who counseled on the need to handle the issue with utmost respect.
“I believe that it is extremely naive and mischievious for anybody to associate Chief Olusegun Obasanjo with the self-inflicted travails of Chief Adebisi Akande, who appears totally confused by the devastating discoveries perpetrated by the once most prudent governor in Nigeria as painted by the media.
“The burble burst long before the last local government elections and I guess that the issue is one veritable arsenal that could have nailed whatever reputation Chief Akande ascribes to himself if it was deployed.
“My belief in decent politicking precluded me from deploying a weapon I know he would not have hesitated to use in blowing me out of political existence. Having expressed this, all I can advise is for Chief Bisi Akande to muster up his defence to clear up his reputation before the arbiters at the law courts. Heaven knows that I did all I could not to get to this destination, without fear or favour, ill-will or affection.
“Chief Bisi Akande has himself stated that the whole episode appears messy. The construction engineers, quantity surveyors and architects were at variance with their figures and the records are in a muddle. Since the buck stops on his table as chief executive of Osun State at the period the funds got missing, by acts of commission or omission, it should be naturally expected that he should clear the air on this matter, which involves public funds.
“All I have done are consistent and are in line with our policy of running an open administration that is accountable to the citizenry who have entrusted us with the task of managing their affairs for a constitutional period of four years.”
Governor Oyinlola said he did not believe in probing what occurred before his tenure because “probes don’t yield any dividend we are witnesses to so many policy measures put in place. The same policy measures are subsequently reversed in later years. What have we gained by putting resources that would have been positively utilized elsewhere into the aspect of probing and that is why I have sold a manifesto to the people of the state.
“I will only focus on those issue that I promised the people and I will continue to fulfil them. There is nothing like sentiment in this matter. If Chief Akande didn’t open it to the media in his attempt to blackmail us, there would have been no need for me to address this press conference because I believe that governance is a continuum and that we must be able to give reference to the office of the governor.
“And that is why since November last year for God’s sake that I brought this to his attention, he seemed to be willing to make up for the losses but his (Akande) ego, his false reputation prevented him from wanting to reach an agreement with me because he was adjudged the most prudent, the most effective governor.”
Meanwhile, former secretary to the state government (SSG), Alhaji Sola Akinwunmi and former finance commissioner, Chief Lere Adebayo reported to the police at about 9:30 am yesterday accompanied by their supporters. The duo said they were ready to face prosecution if the government has evidence to prove their allegation.
