The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, has alleged that governors across Nigeria are diverting local government allocations. He recently had his say during a meeting with the Egba Traditional Council at the Ake Palace in Abeokuta, where he sought the support and blessings of the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, and other traditional rulers for his governorship ambition.
Declaring that he would grant full financial autonomy to local councils if elected governor in 2027, Adebutu said that local government autonomy would be a cornerstone of his government.
He concluded by alleging that the diversion of local government funds cuts across political parties.
His words, “I will do something that will stun this nation and put us in the right direction. Local governments shall get their own money.
We must make sure we get local government autonomy. I have been reiterating it to you that I, Oladipupo Olatunde Adebutu, was at the National Assembly twice and I can boast that I didn’t embezzle public funds. How many politicians can say this?
It’s not a party thing. Both APC and PDP, all the governors are embezzling local government allocations. It’s not a secret.
When the PDP was in power and local governments were getting their funds, there were developments, and they carried monarchs along in the scheme of things.
Without executive powers, there’s a limit to what an individual can do to develop society.
You don’t borrow money for infrastructure anymore.
For electricity, private sector participation with the government, we will pursue it relentlessly and once we generate that electricity, you will see the income of our people will increase, and energy procurement will decrease.
I can say it categorically that I have distributed more transformers to communities across the state than the government has done.
Any day we install a transformer in any community, it ceases to be mine. It becomes the property of the electricity distribution company, and I haven’t stopped because of that.
Because I believe with electricity, it’s a direct empowerment for everybody. It is either saving you money that you will spend or it is helping you to make money.”
