The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has called on Governor Seyi Makinde to publicly explain how an alleged N50 billion Federal Government intervention fund meant for victims of the January 2024 Ibadan explosion was utilised or resign from office.
The demand followed claims by former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, who alleged that the administration of President Bola Tinubu released the funds to the Oyo State Government after the explosion that ravaged parts of the Bodija Government Reserved Area in Ibadan.
The January 2024 blast left five people dead, injured 77 others and destroyed about 55 buildings in the state capital.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Oyo APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, said Fayose’s allegations raised issues that required a detailed response from the governor.
“Now that his close friend and fellow party man has disclosed that a whopping N50 billion was actually paid into the coffers of the Oyo state government as a Relief Fund by the federal government, Gov. Makinde should realize that a flippant reaction by his media aide cannot be enough, as the whole world needs to know what he did with the money,” the APC stated.
The opposition party in the state also faulted Makinde for his recent comments critical of President Tinubu and the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu.
Separately, Fayose accused Makinde of mismanaging the alleged N50 billion intervention fund, claiming that only N4.5 billion was disbursed to affected victims.
He alleged that the remaining funds were diverted for other uses, including what he described as the governor’s presidential ambition.
Fayose said he decided to release what he described as official documents after Makinde challenged him to substantiate the claims.
“Two days ago, I said on a national television that Oyo State under Governor Seyi Makinde got a sum of N50bn from the Federal Government as intervention on the January 2024 explosion in Ibadan,” Fayose said, according to a statement shared on social media by his former aide, Lere Olayinka.
The former governor further claimed that Makinde’s alleged political ambition had fuelled internal disputes within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and informed his repeated criticisms of Tinubu and the Federal Government.
He challenged Makinde to institute legal action if the allegations were untrue, maintaining that he possessed additional documents relating to other Federal Government intervention funds allegedly received by the Oyo State Government.
Earlier, Makinde’s Chief Press Secretary, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, dismissed the allegations as unfounded and challenged Fayose to present verifiable proof.
“There is no substance to the claim. If he (Fayose) has proof that the Federal Government gave N50 billion, he should provide it. It is not just about going on air to say rubbish,” Olarenwaju said.
“If he has evidence, he should come forward with it. I don’t think we should waste time on these guys,” he added.
Governor Makinde had earlier met with President Tinubu in January 2024 to present a report on the explosion.
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