Following remarks allegedly credited to the the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola that the major opposition figures lack a record of service and are merely seeking to loot the state’s treasury, the Ladi Adebutu Development Organisation ( LADO) has condemned the utterances in strong terms.
The socio-political organization described it as a reckless attempt to distract the opposition, political cheap blackmai and height of hypocrisy.
A statement issued and signed by the Director of Media for the organization, Afolabi Orekoya, dismissed the APC candidate’s assertions, noting that the accusation is not only an insult to the intelligence of Ogun people, but also a deliberate smokescreen meant to cover the ruling party’s poor record of fiscal management and budget manipulation.
He argued that to say the opposition has no service record is a blatant falsehood that collapses under basic scrutiny of history.
“Over 15 years ago, long before Senator Adeola’s current political posturing, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello had already established a formidable record,” he said.
Orekoya highlighted Obasanjo-Bello’s academic and professional background — a PhD in Epidemiology from Cornell University and years of clinical research in the United States — before she returned to Nigeria to serve.
Her record in public office, he noted, includes serving as Ogun State Commissioner for Health between 2003 and 2007, and later as Senator of the Federal Republic from 2007 to 2011, where she chaired the influential Senate Committee on Health.
Orekoya said it was not surprising that Senator Adeola was unaware of the PDP’s achievements between 2003 and 2011.
“He was never one of us in Ogun State then, and had no reason to show interest in what was happening here,” Orekoya stated.
Orekoya alleged that if anyone should worry about the state’s purse, it should be the APC, because “they have already mortgaged it.”
He cited figures from the Debt Management Office and Bureau of Statistics showing Ogun’s domestic debt profile has ballooned to a staggering ₦293.2 billion, with additional multi-million dollar external debt.
The organization accused the ruling party of leveraging the future of the state through reckless borrowing, leaving little room for genuine development.
Orekoya said Adeola has a history of being “economical with the truth” and pointed to the 2026 Appropriation Act as evidence.
“As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Adeola was accused of inserting billions of naira worth of Ogun road projects into the budget of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education, NCAOOSCE”, he noted.
The organization listed some of the projects allegedly smuggled into that budget: Obasanjo Itele Road, Eyinni High School–Lusada Junction Road, Nazareth Road in Imeko, Idogo Township Road, Ibooro Road, Pakoiji-Iporan Township Road, and several others across the state.
Orekoya argued that diverting funds meant for vulnerable, out-of-school children to finance constituency projects is a moral failure, saying “In a sane society, he should have resigned and submitted himself for investigation”.
The statement asked: “what treasury is left to loot when state revenues are already committed to servicing debts incurred by the incumbent administration? ”
The organization alleged that some of those borrowed funds are also being mismanaged in the name of project execution,, insisting that the opposition is not driven by pecuniary interests, but by what it called “an urgent democratic mandate to rescue Ogun State from fiscal ruin, administrative incompetence, and arrogance.”
Orekoya then listed six questions that Senator Adeola has refused to answer: ” the change of name from Sulaimon Ogunleye to Solomon Adeola, his exit from Guardian Newspaper, the burial place of his parents, his true origin, his cumulative emolument, and the number of years spent in tertiary institution”.
“Since he has been avoiding these questions, no wonder Senator Iyabo Obasanjo said ‘all they know how to do is to lie and steal’,” the statement added, quoting Obasanjo-Bello’s response to Adeola’s allegation.
Orekoya urged Ogun people to see Adeola’s statement as “panicked rhetoric from a politician who knows the electorate is demanding accountability for a decade of debts, budget padding, and broken promises”.
He noted that the PD remains focused on an issues-based campaign and on the redemption of the State.
Read full statement below:
Write 20 paragraphs story from below statement
**A Reckless Attempt at Distraction: The Hypocrisy of Senator Adeola Yayi’s Claims and the True State of Ogun Treasury**
*……..If you can lie, you can steal*
It has become necessary to respond to the baseless, hypocritical, and utterly desperate statements recently credited to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi). In a crude attempt at cheap political blackmail, Senator Adeola accused major opposition—and specifically targeted Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello—of lacking a service record and being driven solely by a desire to loot the Ogun State treasury.
This inordinately manufactured narrative is not only a gross insult to the intelligence of the good people of Ogun State, but also a deliberate smokescreen designed to distract from the ruling party’s egregious record of fiscal mismanagement and blatant budgetary manipulation.
First, to claim that the opposition lacks a record of service is a blatant falsehood that collapses upon the slightest scrutiny of history. Over 15 years ago, long before Senator Adeola’s current political posturing, Senator Obasanjo-Bello had already established a formidable record of intellectual and public service. Armed with a PhD in Epidemiology from Cornell University and rigorous clinical research experience in the United States, she returned to Nigeria strictly to serve. She did not arrive empty-handed; she delivered tangible results as the Ogun State Commissioner for Health (2003–2007) and subsequently as a Senator of the Federal Republic (2007–2011), where she capably chaired the Senate Committee on Health.
We are not surprised that Senator Adeola has no idea of the outstanding performance and delivery of good governance by the Peoples Democratic Party between 2003 and 2011 because he was never one of us in Ogun State and did not have any reason to show interest in what happened in Ogun State then.
However, the most glaring hypocrisy in Senator Adeola’s statement is his sudden, performative concern for the “purse of Ogun State.” As a matter of fact, if the opposition were to be looking for a prosperous state treasury, they would be sorely disappointed—because the APC has already mortgaged it. Under the watch of Senator Adeola’s own party, Ogun State has been plunged into an unprecedented abyss of debt. The ruling party has aggressively leveraged the future of our state, racking up a suffocating domestic debt profile that surged from manageable levels to a staggering *₦293.2 billion* as published by the Debt Management Office and Bureau of Statistics, alongside an external debt burden of multi-millions of dollars.
What is even more damning is Senator Adeola’s own track record of deceit. He has been economical with the truth and there is no reason why he won’t continue to lie. His recent actions prove he is more than willing to rob Peter to pay Paul. A glaring example is the scandalous budgetary allocation for the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE) in the 2026 Appropriation Act. Senator Adeola proudly claimed credit for inserting billions of naira worth of Ogun State road projects into the budget of an agency strictly mandated to cater for vulnerable, out-of-school children.
For the record, these misplaced insertions into the Almajiri budget in billions of Naira include:
* Obasanjo Itele Road
* Eyinni High School–Lusada Junction Road
* Nazareth Road, Oke Ola, Imeko
* Idogo Township Road
* Ibooro Road
* Pakoiji-Iporan Township Road
* RCC opposite Honda Agbebi Community Road
* Rounda Abeokuta
* Soyoye Community Road
* Ile Ise Community Asuje Road
* Ajuwon Baale Road
As the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, he can not deny his involvement in the budget padding and stealing of the Nation’s money. In a sane society, he should have resigned from the Senate and submit himself to investigation.
Diverting funds meant to pull millions of vulnerable Nigerian children off the streets just to fund political constituency projects is a moral failure. It is the height of political audacity for a chieftain who manipulates statutory budgets to accuse anyone else of targeting the treasury. What treasury is left to target when the state’s revenues are heavily committed to servicing the reckless borrowing spree of the incumbent administration? The unfortunate thing again, is that these debts incurred are also being stolen in name of project execution.
The opposition in Ogun State is not driven by the pecuniary interests that Senator Adeola is so accustomed to. We are driven by an urgent, democratic mandate to rescue our state from fiscal ruin, administrative incompetence, and the arrogant sense of entitlement displayed by the ruling class.
Till now, Senator Adeola has not given answers to these cogent questions:
1. What led to the changing of name from Sulaimon Ogunleye to Solomon Adeola?
2. Why did he leave the Guardian Newspaper?
3. Where were his parents buried?
4. Where is his true origin?
5. How much is his cumulative emolument and where did he get the funds he is spending lavishly?
6. How many years did he spend in the tertiary institution?
Since he has been avoiding providing answers to these and many other questions, no wonder Senator Iyabo Obasanjo was quoted as saying “All they know how to do is to lie and steal” while responding to his unsubstantiated allegation.
We urge the good people of Ogun State to see Senator Adeola’s statement for exactly what it is – the panicked rhetoric of a politician who knows that the electorates are finally ready to demand accountability for a decade of mounting debts, budget padding, and broken promises.
The days of distracting the public with baseless mudslinging are over. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidates remain focused on issues-based campaign and on the redemption of Ogun State.
Signed
Afolabi Orekoya
Director of Media
Ladi Adebutu Development Organisation
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