A civil group, the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of
Osun State (CSCEOS), says it has uncovered plan by the State governor, Rauf Aregbesola to divert the second tranche of Paris Club refund of N12.7 billion accrued to the state into the funding of forthcoming Osun West Senatorial Bye-Election slated to hold on July 8, 2017.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed July 8
for a bye election to replace late Senator Isiaka Adeleke.
It also disclosed that sum of N75 million was taken to Alimosho
local government area of Lagos State at the weekend for sharing among
the thousands of All Progressives Congress (APC) faithful that
volunteers to be party agents during the forthcoming bye-election in
the State and as well agreed to transfer their Voters card from Lagos
to Osun State during the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration (CVR)
exercise ahead of of 2018 governorship election in the State.
It added that Aregbesola had also employed the service of the
former Resident Electoral Commission (REC) in the State who hailed
from Lagos State at the sum of N55 million, for bribing of the
electoral officials to compromise the system during the forthcoming
bye-election in favour of APC candidate, Mudasiru Hussein.
The group said that it based on these reasons that the State
government was silent on the total amount being received by the State
out of N516.38 billion accrued to the 36 States of the Federation and
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and how it planned to spend the money.
CSCEOS further alleged that Aregbesola has been working on the
plan and modality to shortchange the workers and pensioners in the
State by concluding to use 40 percent of the N12.7 billion which could
only pay just two months out of 12 to 13 months backlogs of salaries
and pensions arrears in order to have enough funds to sponsor the
forthcoming bye-election and as well divert the remaining funds into
other phony projects.
It stressed that part of the grand plan of Aregbesola to deceive the
civil servants and pensioners in the State, was to begin the payment
of two months’ salary and pension arrears out of the backlog, after
the conduct of July 8th bye –election, envisaging that the State
government might not be able to meet the huge financial expenses of
the election, due to the financial buoyancy of the arc-rival of the party candidate in the forthcoming election in person of Dr. Ademola Adeleke of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).
In a statement signed by group’s Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi
Sulaiman and copies made available to journalists on Sunday, insisted
that Aregbesola had earmarked the half percent of the funds to be
spent on the forthcoming bye-election while the remaining half of the
funds had been lodged in a fixed deposit account operated by the state
government till after bye-election.
The statement said that Governor Aregbesola has been working round the
clock in his usual way to ensure justification for the spending of the
new Paris Club refunds accrued to the State in order to give the
impression that his government was transparent in the management of
State resources, advising the leaders of the labour unions and
pensioners in the State to wake-up from their slumber by not allowing
the state government to divert the new funds.
It described Aregbesola as a serial and pathological liar who always
made blatant lies in the management of the State resources since
inception of his administration in November 27,2010, insisting that
all the phony projects being claimed to have spent all the recent
bailout funds and Paris-club refunds on, were being financed by the
loan obtained from the both local and international financial
institutions, adding that the plan to divert the 12.7billon
London-Paris club loan refunds, would undermine the human dignity of
civil servants and pensioners in the state.
“Instead of Mr. Rauf Aregbesola to use the newly received N12.7 billion London-Paris Club refunds loan from the Federal government to offset the backlog of salaries and pensions arrears of 12 to 13 months, Aregbesola had concluded arrangement to shortchange the Civil servants and pensioners of the State by paying them just only two months while the State government would leave 10 to 11 months salaries and pensions arrears unpaid.
“Aregbesola is callous, selfish, heartless, wicked, tyrannical,
merciless, cruel, brutal and inhuman for leaving the workers and
pensioners to be wallowing in abject poverty and you will note that
Aregbesola has been silent on the issue of Paris Club refunds to the
State unlike other States of the federation.
“This is high time for every discerning people of the State to demand from Aregbesola to use the Paris Refunds loan to clear the backlog of workers and pensions due with gratuities before the conduct of July 8th,2017 Osun West Senatorial district bye-election,” the statement said.