An Osun State based Civil Society Organization (CSO), the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS), has warned the State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola,against using the meager resources of the state to fund the forthcoming

gubernatorial elections in Edo and Ondo states. It alleged that it has been the habitual character of Aregbesola to illegally spend the state resources on frivolous elections of his party in other states of the federation since he came into power in November 2010 after the ruling of the Justice Clara Ogunbiyi-led Appeal court in Ibadan.

CSCEOS made its views known through a statement issued and signed by the chairman, Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman.

The group recalled that billions of naira of the state funds had been spent to sponsor elections in Ondo, Kogi, Anambra and other states vis-a-vis the 2015 presidential election of President Muhammadu Buhari. It singled out the October 20, 2012 Ondo State governorship
election “where billions of naira were spent on fruitless political journey on the side of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate, Barrister Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN).”
News Express recalls that the nation’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), recently fixed September 10 and November 26, 2016 for the conduct of governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states respectively.

Reacting to the recent meeting between Aregbesola and Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomole, on the forthcoming governorship election in Edo and Ondo states, CSCEOS alleged that billions of naira out of local government funds diverted by the State Government have been set aside to sponsor the governorship elections in the two states to support the candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The group stated that information at its disposal has revealed that Aregbesola had concluded arrangement as he used to do, to commit billions of naira on the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states in favour of APC candidates, noting that the reckless spending of the past by Mr. Aregbesola caused over long financial crisis that has been ravaging the state since 2014 which made the state to borrow money from River State government under Mr. Rotimi Amaechi and Adeleke’s family to pay workers salaries in 2014.

•Photo shows Governor Aregbesola.