Former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola has dismissed Governor Ademola Adeleke’s claim that he provided him with a vehicle, insisting that the car was an entitlement approved under a state law.
Oyinlola made the clarification on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, days after withdrawing his support for Adeleke’s re-election and endorsing the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
According to the former governor, the vehicles provided to him were supplied by the Osun State Government pursuant to legislation enacted by the state House of Assembly.
“That is far from the truth. It’s a sad development that the governor will continue to tell lies,” Oyinlola said.
He explained that the law provides benefits for former governors, including the replacement of their official vehicles every four years.
“The Osun State House of Assembly enacted the law whereby approval is given to whoever has governed the state. One of the things that you approve for a former governor is that for every four years, his vehicle should be changed,” he said.
Oyinlola, who has been out of government for 16 years, argued that the period meant he was still entitled to three additional vehicles under the law.
“I have been out of the Osun State Government in the last 16 years. If you aggregate it, it means the state is still having to give out three vehicles. It wasn’t Ademola that gave me the vehicle; it was the Osun State Government,” he said.
He added that the legislation also provides former governors with other benefits, including security personnel, a cook and drivers.
The former governor further rejected Adeleke’s claim that he had approached him to ask for a vehicle, describing the suggestion as misleading.
“I did not walk to his place when he said I was begging for a vehicle. By the grace of God, I had started buying cars since I was 21. When I was going to the Government House, I went with my entire convoy,” Oyinlola said.
He maintained that the vehicle was his statutory entitlement and insisted that Adeleke still owed him three more vehicles under the law.
The dispute emerged after Oyinlola announced that he would support Oyebamiji despite previously backing Adeleke’s re-election bid.
Speaking at a town hall meeting on Tuesday, Adeleke accused Oyinlola of repeatedly working against his political ambitions, including his attempts to win a Senate seat in 2007 and the governorship elections in 2018 and 2022.
The governor said Oyinlola later sought reconciliation after his 2022 victory, which he accepted because of what he described as his “forgiving spirit”.
Adeleke also claimed that Oyinlola complained about not having a vehicle, prompting him to provide one.
He subsequently described the former governor as a “paperweight” and said his endorsement of Oyebamiji would not influence the outcome of Saturday’s election.
Oyinlola, however, said his decision to support the APC candidate was driven by concerns over what he described as a lack of inclusiveness in Adeleke’s administration.
He announced on Sunday that he and other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders would support Oyebamiji while maintaining that he remained a member of the PDP.
The Osun governorship election is scheduled for Saturday, with 15 candidates contesting the poll across the state’s 30 local government areas.
More than 25,000 security personnel have been deployed for the election as authorities prepare for the closely watched contest.
