Adeleke's Asset Recovery Committee are desperate to tarnish people's image, Senator Oriolowo cries out

 Accuses committee members of violating fair hearing principle

* Demands apology, N500m compensation

By Adekunle Alao

If the recent development in Osun State is anything to go by, the political romance between Senator Olalere Oriolowo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have broken down irretrievably.

It appears centre can no longer hold for the two political partners as they now wash their dirty linen in public. 

Oriolowo, (APC Osun West), was one of the Rauf Aregbesola's allies who engaged in political debauchery with the PDP in the last governorship election. Having lost his second-term bid to Dr Amidu Tadese, his Iwo compatriot, in May 2022, Oriolowo believed thwarting the re-election bid of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola was a sweet revenge, hence he mobilised his political structure to enthrone Senator Ademola Adeleke, of PDP. Oriolowo and his associates in TOP caucus within Osun APC like Rasak Salinsile, former Chief of Staff to Aregbesola, were even captured on video jubilating over the announcement of Adeleke as Osun governor. Since Adeleke's inauguration November 27, the duo again have been sighted on a couple of occasions frolicking with the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, most especially the Osun West PDP candidate who is from Irewole local government.

Oriolowo, specifically, has been quoted to have said he would not back out of his anti-party activities until he sees the Iwo-born APC senatorial candidate, Tadese, and APC, fall irredeemably in the 2023 elections.

However, recent turnout of events, where the Iwo-born engineer's name featured copiously in a report of public officers who were said to have bolted away with property of the state government, has taken people aback. Many hold that Oriolowo should not have been maligned in this manner given his contribution to the emergence of current government. But the committee didn't share such a sentiment. 

In the preliminary report sent to the media, the Asset Recovery Committee set up by Governor Ademola Adeleke to retreive what they called stolen properties of the government by men of the immediate-past administration, Oriolowo was named as being in custody of five heavy equipment belonging to the state government.

In his reaction, regardless, the senator described the allegation "as a blatant falsehood, a naked display of recklessness, sacrilegious dereliction of truth and unjustifiable character assassination."

According to him, the failure of the committee to invite him to state his side of the position is against the principle of fair hearing. 

In his words, " I also reliably gathered that the said committee failed to submit their report to their principal before going to the public to malign my name. Perhaps they would have been well guided. You don't call someone a thief without first giving him an opportunity to defend himself. That is wickedness. They should discontinue the witch-hunting campaign against innocent people because they served under Oyetola."

Revealing what he called the real situation of things, Oriolowo said, "The said equipment which belongs to the then OSSADEP was in existence when I left the agency 15 years ago. A simple due diligence or investigation by the committee would have unravelled the salient fact that the equipment is still property of the Osun State Government."

In the final submission, the senator vowed to use all the legal means to get justice if the state government failed to offer an apology letter to him within seven days as well as pay him the sum of N500million compensation for the damage done to his name and integrity.