…Says no senator can single-handedly insert, approve ₦250bn projects
Daud Olatunji
The Media and Publicity Committee of the Ogun State APC Campaign Council has dismissed allegations linking the party’s 2027 governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, to alleged budget insertions and diversion of public funds amounting to ₦250 billion.
The committee described the allegations as “false, baseless and politically motivated,” insisting that the Senator, despite being Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, does not possess the constitutional power to unilaterally insert or approve projects in the national budget.
The statement, signed by the committee’s Chairman, Chief Kayode Odunaro, on Friday, was issued in response to a PLATFORM TIMES report titled, “N250bn Budget Bomb: Group Drags Ogun APC Gov Candidate, Yayi, Before ICPC, Demands Probe.”
The report had referred to allegations contained in a purported petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission concerning projects and budgetary allocations allegedly linked to Adeola.
The APC campaign council, however, said the allegations reflected a “fundamental misunderstanding” of Nigeria’s budgetary process.
According to the council, the national budget is an Act of the National Assembly and is subjected to consideration, scrutiny and passage by both chambers of the legislature before presidential assent.
It argued that no individual legislator, including the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, could single-handedly appropriate public funds or insert projects worth ₦250bn into the national budget.
The statement read in part, “No Senator, including the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, has the unilateral power to insert, approve or implement projects or appropriate public funds at will.
“Any suggestion that Senator Adeola could single-handedly insert projects worth ₦250 billion into the national budget betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the legislative and budgetary process.”
The council further explained that the Appropriations Committee operates within the wider structure of the National Assembly and considers proposals and budget submissions from Ministries, Departments and Agencies, alongside other inputs received through the legislative process.
It also drew a distinction between the appropriation of funds and the actual execution of projects.
According to the APC campaign council, budgetary provisions do not automatically amount to project execution, as procurement, contract awards, disbursement and implementation are handled by relevant government agencies in the Executive arm.
“Legislators are not contractors and are not allocated public funds to execute constituency projects,” it stated.
The council also argued that the existence of a project or allocation in an Appropriation Act could not, on its own, constitute evidence of corruption.
It said any allegation of wrongdoing should be tied to specific transactions, procurement processes, expenditures or other verifiable evidence capable of being investigated by the relevant authorities.
“If there is credible evidence of corruption, the appropriate agencies are free to investigate the specific conduct, transaction, procurement process or expenditure concerned,” the statement said.
“A sweeping demand to ‘probe the budget’ does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing.”
Despite rejecting the allegations, the campaign council said it had no objection to any lawful investigation by the ICPC or any other competent anti-corruption agency.
The council said Adeola was prepared to cooperate with any legitimate inquiry founded on verifiable facts and evidence.
“The Council has no objection whatsoever to any lawful inquiry by the ICPC or any other competent anti-corruption agency. Senator Adeola has nothing to fear from any legitimate investigation based on verifiable facts and evidence,” it stated.
The development comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 Ogun State governorship election, with Adeola emerging as the APC candidate.
The campaign council accused the opposition of attempting to create controversy around the senator through anonymous groups and what it described as unsubstantiated allegations.
It urged political opponents to focus on presenting their programmes and engaging voters on issues affecting Ogun State rather than what it called attempts to manufacture controversies.
The council maintained that Adeola remained focused on his legislative duties and interventions across Ogun West and other parts of the state under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“No amount of political blackmail or fake news will distract him from his governorship aspiration,” the statement added.
The APC campaign council subsequently urged members of the public to demand documentary and verifiable evidence when confronted with allegations concerning public funds, rather than relying solely on sensational claims circulated online.
The statement was signed by Chief Kayode Odunaro, Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee, Ogun State APC Campaign Council, and dated September 18, 2026.
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