The State of Osun Governor-elect, Ademola Adeleke, has accused the incumbent Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola of planning to appoint 15 of his loyalists as Permanent Secretaries.
Adeleke alleged that Oyetola was already compiling names set to make the list of appointments, which he said would soon be announced.
According to him, it’s barely a month to the end of Oyetola’s tenure, and he doesn’t understand his plans to appoint 15 PS when he will leave office soon.
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Adeleke, who revealed this in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, noted that “when he assumed reign, he would re-assess the state of the bureaucracy in the state, with a view to enforce due process and ensure appropriate placement of senior personnel into various positions through an open and merit-based process.”
On this premise, Oyetola was advised to forget his plan, adding that his action now is like exercising appointive power not only at the wrong time but at a time the electorate had anointed a new leader.
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The statement reads in part, “We note that Oyetola has been running the government with just about nine permanent secretaries for the past three and half years.
“How he came about the idea of increasing the number at the twilight of his administration’s tenure is still not clear.
“As an outgoing Governor, it cannot be good intentioned for you to appoint critical officials like permanent secretaries when a new leader is about to take over the administration of the state. The incoming governor has the right to determine the team he will work with. It should be clear that predetermining the makeup of the incoming government is an effort in futility.
“The outgoing Governor’s decision is therefore in bad taste and a continuation of current efforts to destabilise the incoming administration.
“We also call on senior bureaucrats not to accept any Greek gift that may end up hurting their career. To be forewarned is to be careful,” Rasheed pointed out.
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Reacting to the development, Oyetola Special Adviser on Political Affairs, Sunday Akere, had said Oyetola’s first tenure would only end at midnight of November 26, so whatever action is taken before then was within the law.
Akere said, “It is unfortunate that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems not to know what is right to what is wrong. For goodness sake, the first term of Gov Gboyega Oyetola ends on midnight of November 26, 2022.
“Whatever action or decision taken by the governor is covered by the laws of the land. PDP should wait for their turn, if any and allow us to deliver on the mandate given to us by the people of Osun.”