The Accord Party in Osun State has alleged that public infrastructure executed by the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke is being deliberately vandalised in what it described as an attempt to discredit the government’s performance ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The party said it had received what it termed “credible reports” of attacks on roads, streetlights and other public facilities across the state, alleging that the incidents were politically motivated and aimed at creating a false impression that the government had failed to deliver development projects.
In a statement signed by its Osun State Chairman, Pastor Victor Akande, the party alleged that the vandalism was being carried out by “desperate elements” in the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to undermine Governor Adeleke’s achievements.
Part of the statement read: “The Osun Accord has received credible reports of a disturbing pattern of vandalisation targeting public infrastructure delivered by the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
“These acts are not ordinary criminal activities but appear to be part of a calculated attempt by desperate elements in the opposition APC to undermine and discredit the remarkable achievements of the current administration ahead of the forthcoming governorship election.”
The party maintained that public infrastructure belongs to the people of Osun State and should not be destroyed for political reasons, stressing that acts of vandalism would not prevent the Adeleke administration from continuing its development programmes.
It called on security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the incidents, identify those responsible irrespective of their political affiliation, and prosecute anyone found culpable in accordance with the law.
Accord also appealed to residents, community leaders and youth groups to safeguard government facilities by promptly reporting suspicious activities around public projects to the appropriate authorities.
The party further disclosed that it would strengthen surveillance around government projects, adding that officials of the Ministry of Works had commenced inspections of affected sites to assess the extent of the alleged damage.
Reacting, the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said the structural failure of the newly commissioned Lameco Junction Flyover in Osogbo had vindicated its earlier warning that the project was awarded to an unqualified contractor.
The party, in a statement issued by its Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, alleged that the flyover, commissioned about two weeks ago at a cost of ₦20 billion, had developed cracks and caved in at the centre, forcing the state government to cordon it off for repairs.
According to the APC, the development confirmed its earlier allegation that Governor Ademola Adeleke awarded the contract to “a fertilizer distributor,” who was also serving as Commissioner for Works.
The opposition party argued that if a two-week-old bridge could fail an integrity test, questions should be raised about the quality and durability of other projects executed by the administration.
The statement read in part: “With this untoward development affecting the newly constructed flyover by Governor Adeleke, it is not a hyperbolic expression to conclude that the projects carried out by the incumbent administration are grossly substandard.
“The observed failure of the structural integrity test of the Lameco Flyover in Osogbo within two weeks of its commissioning is an indication that the administration of the Accord Party governor has failed irredeemably.”
The APC called on the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE), and the Association of Consulting Engineers Nigeria (ACEN) to intervene by halting further commissioning of roads, bridges and flyovers in the state pending a comprehensive technical assessment.
The opposition party also urged relevant stakeholders to condemn what it described as the waste of ₦20 billion on what it called “a death trap” and demanded that all projects executed by the Adeleke administration over the past three years be subjected to independent s
tructural integrity tests to guarantee public safety.
