ABEOKUTA — The Media and Publicity Committee of the Ogun State APC Campaign Council has dismissed as false, baseless and politically motivated allegations that the APC governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, CON, popularly known as Yayi, inserted and looted N250 billion in the national budget.
The committee was reacting to a petition being circulated by a faceless group and promoted by the online platform, Platform Times, under the headline “N250bn Budget Bomb: Group Drags Ogun APC Gov Candidate, Yayi, Before ICPC, Demands Probe.” The petition is said to ask the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate Adeola.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee, Chief Kayode Odunaro, the council said the allegations were another desperate attempt to manufacture controversy around Adeola ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
“We state categorically that the allegations are false, baseless and politically motivated,” the statement said. It added that the publication betrayed a fundamental misunderstanding of Nigeria’s budgetary process.
The committee explained that the national budget is an Act of the National Assembly, not the property or product of an individual legislator, and that it passes through a constitutional legislative process involving the Senate and House of Representatives before presidential assent.
It said no Senator, including the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, has unilateral power to insert, approve or implement projects or appropriate public funds at will. Chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee, it added, does not confer unilateral control over the budget.
The council also said budgetary provision is not the same as project execution. According to it, projects appropriated in the national budget are implemented by relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Executive arm, while procurement, contract award, disbursement and execution are handled by appropriate government agencies under applicable laws. Legislators, it said, are not contractors and are not allocated public funds to execute constituency projects.
It further noted that once an Appropriation Act is passed and assented to by the President, it becomes law, with legislative responsibility thereafter including oversight to ensure funds are utilised lawfully and projects are properly implemented.
The committee said the allegation that mere budgetary provisions constitute evidence of corruption is misleading. It said if there is credible evidence of corruption, anti-corruption agencies are free to investigate the specific conduct, transaction, procurement process or expenditure concerned.
The council said it had no objection to any lawful inquiry by the ICPC or any other competent agency, adding that Adeola has nothing to fear from any legitimate investigation based on verifiable facts and evidence.
It, however, criticised what it called the increasing resort to anonymous groups, unsubstantiated allegations and sensational publications to create an impression of wrongdoing. It urged the opposition to focus on presenting its programmes and engaging the people of Ogun State on issues that matter.
“Senator Adeola remains focused on his legislative responsibilities and on supporting projects and interventions across Ogun West and other parts of Ogun State under the Renewed Hope Agenda of the APC-led Federal Government. No amount of political blackmail or fake news will distract him from his governorship aspiration,” the statement said.
The committee urged the people of Ogun State and the general public to treat the N250 billion budget allegation with caution and to demand verifiable evidence rather than rely on sensational claims circulated through anonymous or politically sponsored platforms.
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