The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has accused the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, of planning to install his kinsman as the Rector of the state’s College of Technology, Esa Oke.

The APC allegation was contained in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, on Thursday.

But the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party dismissed the APC assertion, stating that it would be wicked to stop qualified Ede indigenes from aspiring to reach the peak of their career simply because their kinsman is the governor.

Responding to the APC during a chat with The PUNCH, Osun PDP spokesperson, Oladele Bamiji, said the opposition was out to blackmail Adeleke, insisting that merit had been the watchword of the current administration since it came on board.

The opposition party in Osun, however, cautioned Adeleke to desist from relying on favoritism in the appointment of head of the polytechnic to prevent crises.

“Information has it that Governor Adeleke hurriedly appointed a non-qualified native of Ede, one Sefiu Adebowale Adewumi, Deputy Rector, in an attempt to convert him to a substantive Rector, when the incumbent Rector who is currently on his terminal leave officially retires on 20th May 2025.

“It was gathered that the only qualification of Adewumi to the exalted position of the Rector of that state-owned tertiary institution is that he is a nephew of Governor Adeleke, a cousin to the Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of Education and an elder brother to the Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr Kazeem Akinleye.

“Despite the initial communication with the governor and what appeared as his express approval, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. M. A. K. Jimoh, another Ede man, who is a younger cousin to the said Adewumi, later directed the school’s Registrar, Mr Popoola, to stop the recruitment process, to enable the Ede-born Deputy Rector to take over when the incumbent retires in May,” Olabisi said.
Commenting further, Olabisi said, “We, as a party, are not demanding anything less than the Governor Adeleke-led government to lift the ban on the rectorship advertisement and give every qualified individual an unfettered opportunity to apply for the position of the rector to facilitate a level-playing contest in the purview of justice and fairness.”

The PDP spokesperson stressed his call on the members of the public to disregard the APC allegation.

“The man they are trying to paint black has been within the system of that institution. It is not as if he was just transferred from another institution just in a bid to make him the Rector as alleged.

“Members of the public should not take APC’s blackmail against Adeleke so seriously. It is wicked and crude to now say whoever comes from Ede should be denied whatever is due to them.

https://punchng.com/pdp-backs-adeleke-as-apc-accuses-gov-of-nepotism/