Atiku’s Presidential Election Funds, Probe Deji Adeleke and Others.- Akin Adeyi.
Mr Akin Adeyi, a social media critic has made a call for official probe into how election funds meant for Atiku Presidential election, particularly those of Osun State was expended.
Adeyi, in a statement made available to media men in Osogbo asked that Mr Uche Seconuds who is the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also Mr Atiku Abubakar who was the party’s presidential candidate and owner of the said money use their good offices respectively to institute a comprehensive investigation activities into how a whooping amount of money specifically sent to Osun PDP and for the purpose of procurement of Atiku / PDP election victory in the state was mismanaged.
Adeyi in the statement said he was aware as a fact that a whooping sum of
…………….in hard currency was sent to Osun state arm of the party like all other states of the Federation by Otunba Gbenga Danniel who was the then Head of Atiku Presidential Election Council.
Whereas, Adeyi further said he was also aware as a fact that funds was strictly meant for *collection* and *disbursement* by the state’s own version of Atiku National Presidential Election Council which comprises the following personalities as members; Hon Soji Adagunodo, State Chairman of the Party. Mr Ademola Adeleke, former governorship candidate of the party, Senator Francis Fadahunsi and Mr Olagunsoye Oyinlola who the CUPP National Chairman.
However, contrary was the case for Osun, Adeyi lamented. According to him in the statement, Mr Deji Adeleke who was never a member of the party got the money which he later claimed to have shared to certain party members after he has himself deducted a whooping Sixty Six Million (N66 million) which he claimed the party owed him.
Adeyi said he was aware also as a fact that amount claimed to have shared was less than Sixty six million(N66 million)Naira. The N66 million Deji Adeleke said he removed as refund of amount he borrowed to the party before.
In the statement, Adeyi therefore called on the party’s National leadership to mobilize a high powered probe panel into this terrible one which he said probably resulted in the party’s poor showing in the election. “It highly clumsy and suspicious. How funds meant for a party’s presidential election managed to find its ways into the hands of a non party member calls for a more cusory look. Where and how such person draws the powers,strategy(
because every party is expected to have its funds disbursement arrangement and strategy for every election). How and why such money was shared by a single individual and without any iota of knowledge and inputs of the party chairman calls for a serious probe”.
Adeyi also asked on why and how a whooping N66 million of Atiku election’s fund had to be deducted by Mr Deji Adeleke as payback of money owed him before by the state arm of the party. If state was indeed owing Adeleke should the burden of debt and deductions be transferred on Atiku especially at that critical time when every of his kobos meant a lot to his elections? “It could be sabotage”.
“Whereas, the whole amount sent was in the first place insufficient yet, somebody still had to cornered a whooping N66 million from it. Think what positive impact that amount would have made to that election”.
Adeyi expressed suprise at how Deji Adeleke,the one who delights at his being refered as Baba Olowo and one of the party financiers when he could not add to Atiku’s Election funds will still go ahead and remove from it. Not even banks will take that amounts their service charges. “This is callous and condemnable. It is a development that looked more deliberate and as tactical sabotage to the party’s efforts in that election. It was not a good reinforcement of suspicions and allegations of mole people held against their family. The Adeleke family, recall,have always been seen in some quarters as being more sympathetic and friendly to the APC led federal government as exchange of loyalty and sustenance of their business relationship with the APC Federal Government. The Papa Lantoro Energy Project which nets on every month for Deji Adeleke a whooping N6billion was enough strong cord in their relationship”. Hence, Adeyi in his statement emphasised on why a billionaire of Deji’s magnitude will allow for himself to be enmeshed in this unnecessary controversy of illegal collection and sharing also deductions from election funds.
Finally, Mr Akin Adeyi enjoined the National leadership of the party to quickly and in addition to those on ground institute then dispatch to the state another high powered probe panel that will come and look into this new one. “After all, this is even more explicit, terrible and damaging than any other cases before it. Where anybody, even Mr Deji Adeleke may be found culpable let him also step aside meanwhile so the party can have a breathing space, statement concludes.
