The controversy generated by the federal government’s secret release of the third tranche of N16.67 billion Paris Club fund to Osun State government has caused the resignation of the accountant general of the state, Mr. Alaba Akintayo Kolawole.
To exonerate himself from any blame after leaving office, Kolawole was said to e was said to have written letters to some commercial banks not honour any cheque bearing his signature starting from Monday, September 10.
It was gathered that Kolawole, 60, was granted an extension of service by the governor until October but he reportedly tendered his resignation on Friday.
But the commissioner for information in the state, Mr. Adelani Baderinwa, described the resignation as “untrue” saying rather that the accountant general was retired from service on the account of clocking the mandatory age of 60.
In a statement issued in Oshogbo, Baderinwa said the governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, had accepted Kolawole’s resignation and wished him well in his future endeavours.
“The accountant general of the State of Osun, Mr. Alaba Kolawole, has retired from the service.
“Mr. Kolawole retired from service, having gotten to the threshold age of 60 years a few weeks back, in line with the civil service rules and practice.
“He had served the state meritoriously in various capacities since he joined the service some decades ago and he was appointed the accountant general of the state by Governor Rauf Aregbesola in 2012 when he reached the pinnacle of his career.
“Mr. Kolawole was known to be diligent and hard-working in his duties while in office and the service will miss him and his contributions,” said Baderinwa.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said its investigation revealed that the N16.67 billion is to be diverted to influence Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, compromised international observers as well as pay hoodlums contracted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in its desperate plot to rig the September 22, 2018 Osun governorship elections.
PDP in a statement issued in Abuja by its national publicity secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan stated: “It is reprehensible that President Buhari, whose handlers have been parading as ‘Mr. Integrity’, could approve such dark scheme to convert funds meant for payment of several months’ arrears of workers’ salaries to bribe electoral officers and pay thugs to foist a rejected leadership on an already impoverished people.
“Further investigation reveals that bulk of the money has already been penciled for sharing to APC leaders, especially at the national level, as bribe, to short-circuit the system to favour President Buhari’s re-election bid, while the people of Osun continue to suffer deprivation.
“The PDP has been further made aware of how part of the fund will be moved to private company accounts as well as various hidden locations for the compromised INEC officials and APC leaders.
“Indeed, these revelations have clearly shown that the Buhari Presidency and the APC care less about the welfare of Nigerians and have completely sold themselves to sleaze and corruption for selfish gains.
“The PDP therefore charges the people of Osun State, particularly the workers to rise up and reject this direct assault on their rights, sensibilities and survival as a people, by the APC, which have become notorious for corruption and subversion of rules.
“The PDP invites the world to note how President Buhari and the APC, who were huge beneficiaries of credible elections conducted by the PDP in 2015, are bent on destroying our hard-earned democracy, just because they have been rejected by Nigerians,” the statement read in part.”
