The Ladi Adebutu Development Organisation (LADO) has dismissed recent remarks attributed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, describing them as an attempt to divert attention from what it called the ruling party’s record of fiscal mismanagement and rising public debt.

 

Speaking against the backdrop of the development, Director of Media, Afolabi Orekoya, the organisation accused Senator Adeola of engaging in political blackmail after he reportedly alleged that the opposition, particularly former Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, lacked a record of public service and was interested only in gaining access to the state’s treasury.

 

The PDP campaign organisation described the allegation as “false and hypocritical,” insisting that Obasanjo-Bello had established a record of public service long before Adeola’s emergence on the state’s political scene.

 

According to the statement, Obasanjo-Bello, who holds a doctorate in Epidemiology from Cornell University, served as Ogun State Commissioner for Health between 2003 and 2007 before representing Ogun Central Senatorial District in the Senate from 2007 to 2011, where she chaired the Senate Committee on Health.

 

 

The organisation also defended the administration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State between 2003 and 2011, arguing that it delivered quality governance during its tenure.

 

The group further accused the APC administration of plunging Ogun State into heavy debt, claiming that the state’s domestic debt had risen to ₦293.2 billion, while external debt had also increased substantially.

 

The statement alleged that the state’s finances had been weakened by what it described as reckless borrowing and poor fiscal management.

 

It also accused Senator Adeola, who chairs the Senate Committee on Appropriations, of facilitating the inclusion of road projects in the 2026 budget of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE).

 

According to the organisation, projects allegedly inserted into the commission’s budget included the Obasanjo-Itele Road, Eyinni High School-Lusada Junction Road, Nazareth Road in Imeko, Idogo Township Road, Ibooro Road, Pakoji-Iporan Township Road, RCC opposite Honda Agbebi Community Road, Rounda Abeokuta, Soyoye Community Road, Ile Ise Community Asuje Road and Ajuwon Baale Road.

 

The group alleged that diverting funds meant for the education of vulnerable children to road projects amounted to a moral and fiscal failure.

 

“As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, he cannot 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 submitted himself to investigation,” the statement said.

 

 

The organisation also alleged that funds obtained through borrowing by the Ogun State Government had not translated into commensurate infrastructure development, claiming that many of the debts were incurred “in the name of project execution.”

 

It further challenged Senator Adeola to respond to a number of questions relating to his personal background, educational history and sources of campaign funding, alleging that he had consistently avoided addressing them.

 

The statement quoted former Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello as saying: “All they know how to do is to lie and steal,” while responding to the allegations reportedly made against her.

 

 

LADO urged residents of Ogun State to reject what it described as “baseless mudslinging” and instead demand accountability from the APC-led administration.

 

It maintained that the PDP would continue to pursue an issues-based campaign ahead of the state’s governorship election.