Oyo AP, APC trade blames over N67b debt

THE Accord Party (AP) in Oyo state yesterday accused the Oyo State government of mortgaging the future of the state by plunging it into a N67 billion debt said to be owed two third-generation banks.

But the APC has denied the allegation saying the opposition party was merely indulging in “ancient propaganda” that will not work for it in the next month election 

  The AP through the Director General of Ladoja campaign organisation,Adeolu Adeleke at a press conference alleged that the debt was incurred to finance the road projects embarked upon by the present administration in the state.

  The AP alleged that while one of the banks is being owed N50 billion, the  state government is indebted to the other by N17 billion.

Adeleke said the figure was part of a preliminary investigation by his party on the debt profile of the state under the government of Senator Abiola Ajimobi as of June 2014.

  The former speaker said it stood to reason that the debt profile of the state would have ballooned since last year.

 “We challenge Governor Ajimobi to waive his immunity and invite the EFCC and ICPC to probe his government and look at the books of government. A kilometre of road is awarded for N1 billion in Oyo State and the same contractor gets a kilometre of road for N400 million in Ogun State.” Adeleke said.

  But APC in its reaction said the AP and its principal are only chasing shadows.

The party, through its Director of Publicity, Olawale Shadare dared Ladoja and his cohorts to name the banks for proper verification.

  “The Accord Party and its leader could not fathom how government could have such huge infrastructural achievements without borrowing a penny from anywhere. To underscore the penchant for untruth of the Accord Party, the Oyo State government, in spite of dwindling allocations from the federal government, as at today, has paid the December salaries of workers in the state and is one of the few states of the federation that has done so. Only contractors who have not completed their works are yet to collect full payment,” the party said.

The party added that if indeed the state government was owing that much, it is against reason for Ladoja to be fighting a battle of his life  to become the governor of such a state.