Adeleke overturns Oyetola’s last-minutes ‘malicious’ appointments

The new governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, has said the last-minute appointments of his predecessor, Adegboyega Oyetola, are malicious.

Adeleke spoke on Sunday during his inauguration as the sixth governor of the state.

He also announced an immediate return to the status quo of all the appointments, placements and other major decisions taken by the past administration in its last days with effect from July 17, 2022.

The governor further declared frozen all government accounts.

“Mass employments were carried out without budgetary provisions for salary payments for the new employees; even when the state was struggling to pay salaries and deliver other services. Various hurried and criminally backdated contracts were awarded and again without budgetary provisions.

“Appointments of several Obas were hurriedly done without following due process, just to mention a few. All efforts to get the governor to set up a transition committee and submit hand-over notes in line with best practices proved abortive.

“It is therefore my desire to ask for your patience and understanding to give my administration a few weeks to review and sort out all the actions and malicious confusions which the immediate past administration created since July 17, 2022. Those actions were indeed vindictive measures against the people of Osun State for voting them out of office.

READ: Adeleke vows to sack Oyetola’s perm secs after inauguration

“Consequently, I hereby issue the following directives which will be backed up with appropriate Executive orders, immediate freezing of all government accounts in banks and other financial institutions; immediate establishment of a panel to carry out an inventory and recover all government assets; an immediate establishment of a panel to review all appointments and major decisions of the immediate past administration taken after July 17, 2022; an immediate reversal to the constitutionally recognised name of our state, Osun State.

“All government insignia, correspondences and signages should henceforth reflect Osun State rather than State of Osun, which is unknown to the Nigerian constitution,” Adeleke declared.

The Osun State Chief Judge, Adepele Ojo, administered oaths of offices to the governor and his Deputy, Kola Adewusi.

Present at the main bowl of the Osogbo City Stadium were dignitaries that included the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate and his running mate, Atiku Abubakar and Ifeanyi Okowa, respectively; PDP National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu; Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his Akwa Ibom State counterpart, Emmanuel Udom.

Also present were Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State, ex-Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, and Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

Meanwhile, Adeleke has made his first appointments after his inauguration as governor on Sunday.

He appointed Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye as his Chief of Staff. Also appointed was ex-chairman, Osogbo Local Government, Alhaji Teslim Igbalaye, as the Secretary to the State Government.

A statement signed by the governor further announced the appointment of Mallam Olawale Rasheed as the governor’s spokesman.

“The appointments take immediate effect,” the statement partly read.