Osun, PDP in war of words over 2019 budget

The Osun State Government and the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday engaged in war of words over the 2019 budget presented by Governor Gboyega Oyetola to the state assembly last Thursday.

Earlier, the PDP in a statement signed by Mr Soji Adagunodo, its chairman, said naming the 2019 estimates “Budget of Hope” was a pointer to the fact that the former governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, left Osun in a hopeless state.

But reacting to the statement credited to the PDP, the Supervisor of the State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr Adelani Baderinwa, in another statement, said the opposition’s criticism was fallacious.

Adagunodo in his statement had said, “While acknowledging the contributions of Oyetola about the hopeless state of Osun, despite that he served in that administration as Chief of Staff, a post described by Aregbesola as ‘engine room,’ we however appreciate the departure from the self-denial that brought the state to this quagmire, “ Adagunodo said.

The PDP chairman then called on the people not to be deceived by the false hope in the budget, because” a man who was the engine room of the hopelessness cannot give any hope.”

But Baderinwa in a reaction said though the Oyetola administration acknowledged the role of opposition to include critique of government policies for the overall benefit of all, “we take exception to criticism which tends to be fallacious in nature and without benefit of any kind to our people.

“The press statement by the PDP on the 2019 budget is a criticism that clearly gives them away as lacking abundantly in intellectual input, basic understanding of governance and great deficiency in understanding of what governance is all about.

“It amounts to sheer intellectual laziness and lack of competence on the part of the PDP to criticise a budget based on its christening and failed woefully to critically address the content of the budget as a whole.

“No critical minded opposition will embark on a wild goose chase as the PDP has done on the budget.”

(PUNCH)

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