The Ogun State Chapter of the Coalition for United Political Parties (CUPP), led by Otunba Dr. Femi Sholuade, has criticized Hon. Kayode Akinmade, the Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Media and Strategy, for his alleged verbal attack on the coalition.

In a press statement issued and signed by Chairman, Ogun State CUPP, Otunba Dr. Femi Sholuade,on Thursday, the CUPP described Akinmade’s remarks as a diversionary tactic designed to sidestep serious governance issues affecting the people of Ogun State.

The coalition accused Akinmade of labeling them as “political jobbers” instead of addressing their concerns over alleged maladministration in the state.

The CUPP questioned Akinmade’s competence and relevance in Ogun State governance, stating that his appointment was an affront to the state’s qualified indigenes.

It described his transition from a two-term Commissioner for Information in Ondo State to a media adviser role in Ogun as a “step backward,” accusing him of failing to provide substantive responses to their demands for accountability.

Highlighting its grievances, the coalition reiterated several key governance concerns it claimed Akinmade and the state government have ignored:

On Transparency in Contracts, the coalition demanded the publication of contractors’ names, payment records, and proof of their competence.

It also called for evidence of advertisements and bidding processes for all awarded contracts.

 On the  alleged neglect of Infrastructure, CUPP questioned why major roads across the state remain in deplorable conditions.

It accused the administration of awarding contracts to unqualified individuals without due process.

 On the allegation of poverty and power challenges, the coalition demanded an explanation for Ogun’s 68.1% multidimensional poverty rate.

It criticized the government’s failure to provide sustainable power solutions, leaving the state in darkness.

On the alleged mismanagement of housing projects, CUPP requested detailed information on the beneficiaries and payment records of housing schemes, including the GRA Regeneration Scheme in Abeokuta and PMB Housing Estates in Kobape.

Speaking on the next step, the coalition announced it has engaged MUS Partners Legal Practitioners & Consultants to invoke the Freedom of Information Act and demand transparency from the Ministries of Finance and Housing.

It warned that failure to provide the requested documents within seven days would prompt escalation to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

“We are committed to holding contractors accountable for abandoned projects funded by taxpayers’ money,” the statement read.

Accusing the Dapo Abiodun-led administration of institutionalized economic hardship and mismanagement, CUPP called on the government to address its alleged failures in governance.

The coalition urged the state to prioritize transparency and deliver on its promises to Ogun residents.

The CUPP assured Ogun citizens of a credible alternative in the 2027 elections, pledging to offer a government anchored on competence, transparency, and genuine development.

The Press Statement ;

OGUN CUPP RESPONDS TO VERBAL ATTACK BY GOVERNOR’S MEDIA AIDE, KAYODE AKINMADE

The Ogun State Chapter of the Coalition for United Political Parties (CUPP), under the leadership of Otunba Dr. Femi Sholuade (PhD), Fellow BAU, is compelled to address the unwarranted and insulting remarks by Hon. Kayode Akinmade, the Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Media and Strategy.

It is disheartening that instead of addressing the serious governance issues we raised, Akinmade resorted to name-calling, labeling us as “political jobbers.” This diversionary tactic is an affront to the intelligence of the good people of Ogun State and an attempt to deflect from the maladministration and failures of Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration.

AKINMADE’S LACK OF LOCUS STANDI

We must clarify that Akinmade, an indigene of Ondo State, lacks the moral and political standing to speak on Ogun State affairs. His appointment as Special Adviser is not only a disservice to Ogun indigenes but also a reflection of the governor’s disregard for the wealth of competent individuals within our state.

Akinmade’s descent from serving as a two-term Commissioner for Information in Ondo State to a Special Adviser role in Ogun is a clear step backward. His inability to provide substantive responses to our concerns further underscores his unsuitability for the position.

QUESTIONS THE GOVERNMENT MUST ANSWER

For clarity, we reiterate the critical issues raised by CUPP, which the governor’s spokesperson has failed to address:

1. Transparency in Contracts:

Name the contractors awarded various projects.

Provide evidence of payments made to these contractors.

Publish certificates of incorporation and proof of competence for these contractors.

Disclose the advertisements and bidding processes for these contracts.

2. Neglect of Infrastructure:

Why are major roads in Ogun State, including the state capital, in deplorable conditions?

Why are quacks and unqualified individuals awarded contracts without due process?

3. Failure in Governance:

What steps is the government taking to address the 68.1% multidimensional poverty rate in Ogun State?

Why has the administration failed to implement sustainable power solutions, leaving the state in darkness?

4. Mismanagement in Housing Projects:

Provide detailed information on the beneficiaries and payment records for the following housing schemes:

GRA Regeneration Scheme, Abeokuta

PMB Housing Estates in Kobape and other listed estates

OUR ACTIONS MOVING FORWARD

As a responsible opposition, the CUPP has engaged MUS Partners Legal Practitioners & Consultants to demand transparency under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. We expect the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Housing to provide all requested documents within seven (7) days.

We are also escalating these issues to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Contractors who have abandoned projects after receiving government funds will be held accountable, and we are prepared to pursue legal action against the administration’s unethical practices.

A CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY

Governor Dapo Abiodun and his administration owe the people of Ogun State answers, not distractions. The mismanagement, lack of due process, and insensitivity to the plight of the citizens are unacceptable.

The CUPP remains steadfast in its commitment to hold this administration accountable and to ensure that the people of Ogun State are no longer subjected to institutionalized economic hardship and neglect.

A CALL FOR CHANGE IN 2027

The APC-led administration has failed Ogun State in all ramifications. As we approach 2027, the CUPP assures the people of Ogun State of a better alternative—one rooted in transparency, competence, and genuine development.

Signed,
Otunba Dr. Femi Sholuade (PhD)
Chairman, Ogun State CUPP
January 15, 2025

As Nigeria marks Armed Forces Remembrance Day, a day set aside annually on January 15 to honor the sacrifices and bravery of the nation’s military personnel, particularly fallen heroes, Otunba Segun Showunmi, a prominent opposition leader, has extolled the gallantry of the Armed Forces in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty.

In a heartfelt statement, Showunmi reflected on the pivotal role played by the Armed Forces throughout Nigeria’s history, describing their service as the bedrock of the nation’s security and unity.

“Over the years, they have provided the blanket of security and safety for us as a nation. At every critical turn in our national life, when called upon, they have always answered the clarion call to patriotic duty,” he said.

Showunmi also shared a personal connection to the military, recounting the influence of his uncle, a soldier, who instilled in him a profound sense of gratitude for the sacrifices of Nigerian soldiers, both living and deceased.

As a leader of the opposition, Showunmi expressed unwavering hope in the future of Nigeria, linking the nation’s progress to the dedication and resilience of its Armed Forces.

“I am of a strong conviction and hope that the Nigeria of my dreams and of all Nigerians will be achievable, feasible, and possible for as long as we have you,” he noted.

He emphasized that the existence of a united, thriving Nigeria hinges on the continued strength and commitment of its military.

“We will only have a Nigeria to be proud of, and a Nigeria envied among the comity of nations if and only we have a Nigeria. And we will only have a Nigeria when we have the Armed Forces.”

Showunmi described the military as a beacon of hope, reassuring Nigerians that the nation will always endure.

“You men are the beacon of hope to us that we shall always have a Nigeria to call our own,” he said, acknowledging their sacrifices and extending gratitude on behalf of all citizens.

Armed Forces Remembrance Day is observed to honour the courage and sacrifice of Nigeria’s military personnel, particularly those who have paid the ultimate price in defense of the country.

….You’re Political Jobbers Playing To the Gallery – Ogun Govt Reacts

The Ogun State Chapter of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has lamented what it termed acute malgovernance, maladministration, cluelessness and insensitivity of Governor Dapo Abiodun, submitting that these have plunged the residents into darkness and crushing poverty.

The chairman of CUPP in the state, Dr. Femi Sholuade, who passed the damning verdict on Wednesday at a press conference in Abeokuta, said the body had also observed that following massive neglect of infrastructural development by the Governor, major roads in the state capital have left in a very deplorable state.

Soluade expressed worry over what he alleged as the Governor’s manifest penchant for disregarding due diligence in the awards of contracts, declaring that “he now engages quacks and unqualified people outside Ogun State to do all manners of shoddy jobs.”

According to him, the governor has been awarding civil and building construction jobs without bidding processes, while quacks with no Certificate of Registration or known registered office addresses have been the beneficiaries.

“All our roads are in a calamitous and dangerous state as a lot of the contractors who are the beneficiaries of awards only erected their sign boards as a decoy but they have no equipment to work.

“Governor Dapo Abiodun’s cluelessness has also plunged Ogun State in total darkness whereas so many states in the federation are evolving into solar or going into independent Power Projects in order to improve their economy fortune with stable supplies of electricity.

“Governor Dapo Abiodun administration has successfully made 68.1 per cent of people living in Ogun State poor via the multidimensional poverty level across states in Nigeria,” Sholuade stated.

He said that the CUPP in Ogun State has engaged the service of legal practitioners and consultants to demand under the Freedom of Information Acts 2011 from the Ministry of Finance under Dapo Okubadejo and Ministry of Housing under Jagunmolu Akande Omoniyi, to make available all required documents and information on the proof of payment and names of persons allotted houses in various housing schemes across the state, not later than seven days.

“The CUPP under my leadership has taken steps to report to the EFCC and the ICPC all road contractors who for reasons best known to them took government money but criminally abandoned such roads. And we shall also report all the various unethical financial under-dealings going on under the Governor Dapo Abiodun-led and APC controlled administration in Ogun State, and the Governor should be prepared to meet us in Court

“The people of Ogun State deserve the best in 2027 as APC under this administration has fallen and failed woefully in all ramifications”, Sholuade submitted.

You’re Political Jobbers Playing To the Gallery – Ogun Govt 

However,  the government has described the comment as the ranting of political jobbers and fraudsters dazed by the governor’s rising political profile.

The government, which described the Femi Sholuade-led CUPP as a gang  of political obscurantists desperately seeking for relevance by concocting voodoo figures, challenged the coalition to release the statistical evidence backing its submission, or remain silent forever in the gutter of irrelevance to which it belongs.

“CUPP and its sponsors are just playing to the gallery because some politicians gave them money to rubbish the achievements of the governor in various sectors. Most of these so-called CUPP members lack integrity; they should be disregarded. Only the blind will fail to see achievements.

“Their hearts being full of mischief and evil, we understand why CUPP and its sponsors are willfully and deliberately blind, and cannot see the numerous achievements of Governor Dapo Abiodun, for which the good people of Ogun State remain deeply appreciative.

“CUPP’s statement is nothing but a vainglorious, irredeemably illiterate and utterly mischievous concoction that can only excite ignoramuses. Just how can anyone who claims sanity say that a Governor who has been radically transforming Ogun State and made it an investment destination has plunged the populace into poverty by so doing?,” the government said.

In a statement issued by Hon Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the Governor, the government said it was not surprised by the antics of corrupt and perfidious individuals who can only thrive in mushroom parties which they used as meal tickets.

The statement said:“Were it not for the need to disabuse the minds of innocent people who may be taken in by CUPP and its tales by the moonlight, it would have been entirely unnecessary to dignify the utter gibberish by CUPP and its sponsors with a reply, but we owe the nation a record to curtail the spread of fake news released with intent to create chaos in Ogun State.