By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
ABEOKUTA: Ogun State Chapter of the Coalition for United Political Parties (CUPP), has declared that Governor Dapo Abiodun owes the good people of Ogun State accountability, transparency and explanations regarding the alleged poor governance of the state on his watch in the last couple of years and not the unwarranted distractions by his aide, Hon. Kayode Akinmade.
CUPP which had earlier assailed the administration of Dapo Abiodun, concluding among other things that it has plunged residents into darkness and crushing poverty, reiterated its resolve to drag the Governor to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to answer some questions concerning his stewardship of the Gateway State.
The body through its State Chairman, Otunba Femi Sholuade, also vowed that contractors who have allegedly abandoned projects after receiving government funds would also be held accountable.
Sholuade noted that CUPP was also prepared to take legal action against Abiodun’s administration for alleged “unethical practices.”
“As a responsible opposition, the CUPP has engaged MUS Partners Legal Practitioners & Consultants to demand transparency under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. We expect the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Housing to provide all requested documents within seven (7) days.
“We are also escalating these issues to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Contractors who have abandoned projects after receiving government funds will be held accountable, and we are prepared to pursue legal action against the administration’s unethical practices,” he stated in a release.
However, the state government had in it its reaction earlier, described the statement issued by the CUPP on the Abiodun and his administration as the ranting of political jobbers and fraudsters stunned by the governor’s rising political profile.
Below is the CUPP full PRESS STATEMENT
OGUN CUPP RESPONDS TO VERBAL ATTACK BY GOVERNOR’S MEDIA AIDE, KAYODE AKINMADE
The Ogun State Chapter of the Coalition for United Political Parties (CUPP), under the leadership of Otunba Dr. Femi Sholuade (PhD), Fellow BAU, is compelled to address the unwarranted and insulting remarks by Hon. Kayode Akinmade, the Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Media and Strategy.
It is disheartening that instead of addressing the serious governance issues we raised, Akinmade resorted to name-calling, labeling us as “political jobbers.” This diversionary tactic is an affront to the intelligence of the good people of Ogun State and an attempt to deflect from the maladministration and failures of Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration.
AKINMADE’S LACK OF LOCUS STANDI
We must clarify that Akinmade, an indigene of Ondo State, lacks the moral and political standing to speak on Ogun State affairs. His appointment as Special Adviser is not only a disservice to Ogun indigenes but also a reflection of the governor’s disregard for the wealth of competent individuals within our state.
Akinmade’s descent from serving as a two-term Commissioner for Information in Ondo State to a Special Adviser role in Ogun is a clear step backward. His inability to provide substantive responses to our concerns further underscores his unsuitability for the position.
QUESTIONS THE GOVERNMENT MUST ANSWER
For clarity, we reiterate the critical issues raised by CUPP, which the governor’s spokesperson has failed to address:
1. Transparency in Contracts:
Name the contractors awarded various projects.
Provide evidence of payments made to these contractors.
Publish certificates of incorporation and proof of competence for these contractors.
Disclose the advertisements and bidding processes for these contracts.
2. Neglect of Infrastructure:
Why are major roads in Ogun State, including the state capital, in deplorable conditions?
Why are quacks and unqualified individuals awarded contracts without due process?
3. Failure in Governance:
What steps is the government taking to address the 68.1% multidimensional poverty rate in Ogun State?
Why has the administration failed to implement sustainable power solutions, leaving the state in darkness?
4. Mismanagement in Housing Projects:
Provide detailed information on the beneficiaries and payment records for the following housing schemes:
GRA Regeneration Scheme, Abeokuta
PMB Housing Estates in Kobape and other listed estates
OUR ACTIONS MOVING FORWARD
As a responsible opposition, the CUPP has engaged MUS Partners Legal Practitioners & Consultants to demand transparency under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. We expect the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Housing to provide all requested documents within seven (7) days.
We are also escalating these issues to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Contractors who have abandoned projects after receiving government funds will be held accountable, and we are prepared to pursue legal action against the administration’s unethical practices.
A CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
Governor Dapo Abiodun and his administration owe the people of Ogun State answers, not distractions. The mismanagement, lack of due process, and insensitivity to the plight of the citizens are unacceptable.
The CUPP remains steadfast in its commitment to hold this administration accountable and to ensure that the people of Ogun State are no longer subjected to institutionalized economic hardship and neglect.
A CALL FOR CHANGE IN 2027
The APC-led administration has failed Ogun State in all ramifications. As we approach 2027, the CUPP assures the people of Ogun State of a better alternative—one rooted in transparency, competence, and genuine development.
Signed,
Otunba Dr. Femi Sholuade (PhD)
Chairman, Ogun State CUPP
January 2025
….Ogun Govt Reacts, Dismisses State CUPP’s Statement As Ranting Of Political Jobbers
Earlier, the Ogun State Government had described the statement released by the Ogun State Chapter of the Coalition for United Political Parties (CUPP) accusing the Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration of plunging 68.1 percent of people living in Ogun State into poverty as the ranting of political jobbers and fraudsters stunned by the governor’s rising political profile.
The government, which described the Femi Sholuade-led CUPP as a band of political nonentities desperately seeking relevance by concocting voodoo figures, challenged the coalition to release the statistical evidence backing its claims or remain silent forever in the gutter of irrelevance to which it belongs.
In a statement issued by Hon. Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the Governor, the government said it was not surprised by the antics of corrupt and perfidious individuals who can only thrive in mushroom parties that they use as meal tickets.
The statement said: “Were it not for the need to disabuse the minds of innocent people who may be taken in by CUPP and its tales by moonlight, it would have been entirely unnecessary to dignify the utter gibberish by CUPP and its sponsors with a reply, but we owe the nation a record to curtail the spread of fake news released with the intent to create chaos in Ogun State.”
The statement wondered how Governor Abiodun had pauperized Ogun State through investments such as the $400 million MoU with Arise Integrated Industrial Platform on the development of Olokola Free Trade Zone and Remo Agro Processing Zone, the $500 million investment by the African Industries Group, the Canadian Government’s promised investment in the agricultural and technological sectors of the Ogun economy to strengthen over 60 years of bilateral relationship with Nigeria, the $500 million investment by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to enhance power infrastructure in Ogun State, the Galaxy Steel Company Limited’s $300 million investment to establish a new steel plant for the production of specialized steel products in Ogun State, and the $5 million battery recycling plant by a British company, among others.
It said: “As Governor Abiodun himself has said, Ogun remains the safest state in the country due to the security architecture put in place, while over 600 km of roads have been constructed and various reforms and policies have been put in place to help improve the Ease of Doing Business ranking of the state.
“CUPP and its sponsors are just playing to the gallery because some politicians gave them money to rubbish the achievements of the governor in various sectors. Most of these so-called CUPP members lack integrity; they should be disregarded. Only the blind will fail to see these achievements.
“Their hearts being full of mischief and evil, we understand why CUPP and its sponsors are willfully and deliberately blind and cannot see the numerous achievements of Governor Dapo Abiodun, for which the good people of Ogun State remain deeply appreciative.
“CUPP’s statement is nothing but a vainglorious, irredeemably illiterate, and utterly mischievous concoction that can only excite ignoramuses. Just how can anyone who claims sanity say that a governor who has been radically transforming Ogun State and has made it an investment destination has plunged the populace into poverty by doing so?
“On a weekly basis, the Ogun State Governor inaugurates new roads. In November last year, during the commissioning of the Ojodu Abiodun-Denro-Ishasi-Akute Road, Governor Dapo Abiodun announced plans to award contracts within the next two weeks for the construction of the Alagbole-Akute and Akute-Oke-Aro-Ijoko roads in the Ifo Local Government Area, arguing that a robust road network is essential for development. That is his style.
“The Ogun State Government did not give out houses freely; it is not a bazaar. People paid and were allocated the houses. The government made advertisements on housing schemes, people applied, and were allocated houses accordingly. If CUPP has concrete evidence of wrongdoing, we challenge it to publish it.
“It is a pity that Femi Sholuade says that many states in the federation are evolving into solar or going into independent power projects in order to improve their economic fortunes with stable supplies of electricity, without paying attention to happenings in his own state.
“The law establishing an Ogun Electricity Market (OGEM) to ensure increased quality and quantity of services to Ogun residents has just been assented to by the Governor.
“It will provide a deregulated market for electricity, including several major players like the transmission and distribution companies, among others; provide a framework and map for the private sector, commercial viability, service, improve the people’s well-being, facilitate business, enhance industrialization, and promote peace and development across the State.”
