The opposition People’s Democratic Party in Ondo State has alleged that the finances of the state were being pilfered as a result of the continued absence of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in the state.

It lamented that “finances of the state are suffering as hard-earned resources of the state are being pilfered by interest groups within and outside government; this is to the detriment of our development and wellbeing.”

Addressing newsmen in Akure, the state chairman of the party, Fatai Adams,expressed “deep concern about the ruinous cost the health challenge of the governor has bestowed upon the state; the most obvious is the emergence of a cabal, largely informal, that has seized every initiative, mindlessly driving our state to penury.”

Adams said that “there is no clear leader of government business; the Governor remains on his sick bed; the Deputy Governor is still battling for his political survival, irrespective of President Bola Tinubu’s much-proclaimed intervention; and our state continues to wander in darkness.

“Most disturbing, however, is that our finances are suffering as the hard-earned resources of the state are being pilfered by interest groups within and outside government; this is to the detriment of our development and wellbeing.

“We feel duty-bound to say that the resources and finances of Ondo State is our commonwealth, therefore we are concerned and totally interested in its management.

“For the past years that Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has been governor, not once has any financial update been given to the citizenry.

“Curious and inexplicable expenditure has been the order of the day; therefore, we demand a balance sheet on the finances of our state. This we do because, when our party was in government, due regard was given to giving an account update every month, or at the end of every financial year, by the Agagu and Mimiko administrations.

“The issue of the palliative fund totaling N7 billion is of absolute concern and interest to the people of Ondo State, who readily declare that no palliative came their way and therefore seek answers to the administration of the fund.

“The government is hereby invited to render an account of how this money is spent immediately or cause actions to be taken to unravel the many debaucheries that were perpetrated in the name of palliatives in our state.

“The Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State is more committed to discharging its responsibility to the people and will take cogent actions to expose the many underhanded actions devised to fleece the state of its money, assets, and resources.

“In a short while, we will prepare and release to the public a compendium of illegal and illicit actions taken by functionaries of government to compromise our financial health, assets requisitioned illegally, and sundry unpatriotic actions geared towards compromising the wellness of our future,” he said.

The chairman said that since the governor was not currently fit to handle state matters because of his illness, he “should transmit power to the Deputy Governor in the interest of our dear state. We urge Governor Akeredolu to have a sense of history; he must care enough about what history will record about him; truly, he is Governor, still ailing, and the health of the state cannot be dragged to his sick bed alongside him; posterity will not take kindly to this mean and shortsighted attitude.”

On the swearing-in of the council caretaker committee, despite it’s stoppage by the court, the chairman said that “we will certainly approach the court to commit those responsible for these illegalities to jail for contempt of court.”

Reacting, a top government official told Vanguard that the opposition People’s Democratic Party was playing politics with sensitive issues.

Speaking with vanguard confidence, the government official said that “it’s what they too know: it’s not possible to pilfer government finances; nothing has changed. The government is running even without the physical presence of the governor in the state.

“Nobody can pilfer government finances when there are checks and balances everywhere.

“It’s just a political statement, a careless and baseless allegation.”

He challenged the opposition party to provide proof that the state finances was being pilfered. (Vanguard)