Following the donation of N1 billion to Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Lagos, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke have engaged in verbal war.
THE WHISTLER recalled the Adeleke Family last week Sunday at a commendation service in honour of their mother, late Mrs Esther Adeleke, the business mogul, who is the eldest, Adedeji Adeleke donated N1billion centenary Endowment Fund to the church.
Reacting to the development, APC through its State Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal described the donation to the church as a misplaced priority.
He held that donating such amount of money at a time the state is in dire need of what it takes to be christened a solvent sub-national was morally wrong
Tajudeen in a statement noted that APC is not in any way opposed to the support of religious groups by any individual(s) or a group of people.
He said , “It is pertinent that such should be done with utmost touch of decency. It won’t be an overstatement to state that it was from the scarce resources of the Osun State fund that Governor Adeleke used as a mega donation in the remembrance of his mother in a church in Lagos.
“We, as a party, are not objecting to the extension of a helping hand to religious houses by either individuals, corporate bodies or political functionaries but it is our candid view that decency and morality should not be sacrificed on the altar of charity.
“While we consider it needless to comment on the overburdened queer manner of the governor’s comportment in the public which is at variance with his exalted position as number one citizen in Osun State.
“Making such a donation when he is yet to state any convincing statement on the N70,000.00 minimum wage for government workers in the state as approved by the Federal Government is insensitive.”
However, Adeleke while responding to APC, denied making such donation explaining that it was made by a private gesture by a world-renowned business mogul, Dr Deji Adeleke which has no link or source with the Osun State government.
He noted that the donation was not sourced from the state’s treasury.
“The state APC and its operatives have run out of ideas, hence the opposition resorts to barefaced lies and fake news on an event globally live streamed and a donation personally made by the billionaire father of a billionaire, Dr Deji Adeleke.
“Let us all recall that Dr Adeleke made substantial donations to the state government under the Oyetola administration during the COVID crisis. Was Governor Adeleke in office then?”
“Dr Adeleke also hugely contributed to the Federal Government during the Covid crisis. Was Governor Adeleke in charge of the Osun treasury then?”
“At the event in Lagos, neither the state government nor the state Governor made any donation. The only donation came from Dr Adeleke who is more than capable to do so as he had done to APC governments when Mr Oyetola and Muhammadu Buhari were in office.”
He added that “Attempts by state APC to play the religious card also fell flat because the Muslim community knows it is benefiting more from the Adeleke administration than under the previous APC government.”
Adeleke, APC Trade Words Over N1bn Church Donation is first published on The Whistler Newspaper