PDP tackles Osun Assembly over bailout probe
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Osun state, yesterday berated the state House of Assembly over move to stop the Senate probe on the utilisation of bailout funds given to the state by the federal government last year.
The party in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Prince Diran Odeyemi, copies of which were made available to newsmen in Osogbo, said Osun Assemblymen should cover their faces in shame, with their claim that Senate could not probe Governor Aregbesola over the use of the money.
It would be recalled that Osun Assemblymen had told the Senate to hands off its planned to probe how the the special funds given to the state for the sole purpose of paying workers’ salaries was spent.
The PDP alleged that despite getting N34.9 billion to offset workers’ salary arrears, Governor Aregbesola only paid two months salaries and declared that he has exhausted the money.
The PDP said the state Assembly, by its belated moves to look into how Aregbesola spent bailout fund, has given the governor out as hiding “something” about the funds.
The statement reads: “the whole country must be reeling in laughter now how Osun Assembly men after a prolonged slumbering, suddenly jerked back into life and declared war against the Senate for daring to declare its readiness to probe how bailout funds were expended.
“The overfed Assembly men said they were ready to probe the utilization of the fund after Senate committee had indicated it was visiting the state to check Aregbesola’s book.
” People should ask jesters called Osun Assembly men, were they not alive when Aregbesola collected bailout funds meant to pay workers for one whole year and he only paid them two months and declared he had exhausted the funds?
“This same Aregbesola had been paying workers half of their statutory take home for over one year, yet Osun Assembly men didn’t see the need to intervene.
” Aregbesola had ruled Osun without cabinet for over 2 years now since elected for another term, the lawmakers didn’t raise eyebrow over that”
“The governor also refused to conduct local government election since the last one held in the state under a PDP administration 10 years ago, yet the state lawmakers saw nothing wrong in all these.
“We remind these idle lawmakers that the bailout collected by Aregbesola is not statutory fund but a special arrangement by the federal government to assist salary defaulting states. So, if the guarantor of the funds, the federal government choose to look into how the funds were expended, no one can stop it.
“Moreover, Aregbesola himself had declared he was ready to give account of how he spent the fund, why is the Osun House of Assembly constituting itself into a stumbling block, with this their stand, they have further exposed themselves as weak and inactive”
ENDS
