The All Progressives Congress APC in Oyo state has taken a swipe on Governor Seyi Makinde over the reports his alleged connivance with some other serving state governors to obtain permanent court order scrapping all anti-graft agencies and thus put paid to the fight against corruption involving public offices and officials of the state government.
Gov. Makinde and a few other state governors have reportedly approached the Supreme Court to demand a declaration that the federal government, through the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), lacks the authority to issue any directives, guidelines, advisories, or similar instruments concerning the management of funds belonging to state governments or any local government area within the states.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC described the action of the governor as suspect, self-centered and myopic stating that it did not receive the blessing of the masses who have been at the receiving of the misappropriation of funds and wasteful spending of the current PDP administration in the last five and a half years.
“It is sad to note that Gov. Makinde is the chief among those seeking a declaration that the EFCC, ICPC, NFIU, or any federal agency cannot investigate, request documents, invite, or arrest individuals in connection with the management of funds belonging to states or the local government council. This was the same governor who fought tooth and nail to sabotage the efforts to grant financial autonomy to local government councils in view of the noticeable abuse of the Joint Account arrangement between states and the LGAs.
“It is recalled that Gov. Makinde instituted a court action against the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) about four years ago when his government was enmeshed in a contract scam relating to the production of several thousands of exercise books at N2,100 per unit. The case is still pending till today but the court granted the relief sought by the state government restraining the anti-graft agency from acting on the matter until the when the final judgement is delivered. This particular development gave the Makinde administration the leeway to perpetrate many more severe sleaze since then.
“The question on the lips of the public now is that; “why would a state government which draws its main source of income from the federal government kick against the agencies of the government at the centre from performing their statutory duty in the states which formed the nation? Why would a governor be averse to review and auditing of his administration’s financial activities when he does not have a skeleton in the cupboard?
“The reasons for Gov. Makinde’s hostilities to the anti-graft agencies are well known to the world but we would like to inform him (the governor) that he can only run, he cannot hide. With barely two and a half months to the end of the year 2024, Gov. Makinde has concluded plans to spend a whooping N79.3 billion in the guise of Supplementary Finance Bill when in fact, there is little or nothing to show for the sum of N438.5 billion originally budgeted for the year. The idea of a supplementary bill indicated that the whole budgetary allocation for the year had been expended but the people of the state cannot see the impact.” Sadare lamented.
