Ayomide Awe
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Oladipupo Adebutu, has accused governors across Nigeria of diverting local government allocations, declaring that he would grant full financial autonomy to local councils if elected in the 2027 governorship election.
Adebutu made the allegation on Sunday during a meeting with the Egba Traditional Council at the Ake Palace in Abeokuta, where he sought the support and blessings of traditional rulers for his governorship ambition.
The PDP standard-bearer, who was accompanied by his running mate, Dr. Lateefat Sowunmi-Kolapo, the party’s Ogun Central Senatorial candidate, Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo, Ogun PDP Chairman, Abayomi Tella, and other party leaders, said restoring financial independence to local governments would be one of the defining policies of his administration.
He alleged that governors, irrespective of political affiliation, were responsible for the poor state of local government administration across the country.
“Both APC and PDP, all the governors are embezzling local government allocations. It is not a secret,” Adebutu said.
He maintained that local councils were more productive when they had direct access to their statutory allocations, arguing that financial autonomy would revive grassroots development.
“I will do something that will stun this nation and put us in the right direction. Local governments shall get their own money,” he declared.
Adebutu also cited his record as a former member of the House of Representatives, saying he served in the National Assembly without being involved in corruption.
“I can boast that I didn’t embezzle public funds. How many politicians can say this?” he asked.
The PDP candidate said he had come to realise that private philanthropy alone could not drive sustainable development without executive authority.
According to him, although he had continued the humanitarian legacy of his father, businessman and philanthropist Sir Kensington Adebutu, there was a limit to what an individual could achieve outside government.
On infrastructure, Adebutu said his administration would adopt innovative financing models rather than depending on loans, while promising to construct roads that would improve connectivity between Ogun State and Lagos.
He also pledged to prioritise electricity through partnerships with private investors, saying improved power supply would stimulate economic activities, reduce production costs and create jobs.
Highlighting his personal interventions in the power sector, Adebutu claimed to have donated over 600 transformers to communities across Ogun State.
“I can say categorically that I have distributed more transformers to communities across the state than the government has done,” he said.
He explained that each transformer became the property of the electricity distribution company after installation, adding that the intervention was aimed at empowering communities economically.
Speaking at the event, the Ogun State PDP Chairman, Abayomi Tella, blamed the lack of development at the grassroots on the absence of financial autonomy for local governments.
Tella, a former local government chairman, recalled receiving about N200 million monthly allocation during his tenure, which, according to him, enabled his administration to execute four road projects.
He lamented that many serving council chairmen could not point to similar achievements because local government funds were allegedly being controlled by the state government.
Also speaking, Adebutu’s running mate, Dr. Sowunmi-Kolapo, appealed to Egba people to support the PDP ticket, assuring them that an Adebutu administration would not disappoint the traditional institution.
Similarly, Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo expressed confidence in Adebutu’s ability to deliver good governance, saying she joined the PDP because she believed he possessed the vision and political will to transform Ogun State.
She urged traditional rulers in Egbaland to support the PDP, insisting that the party had assembled a formidable team ahead of the election.
A PDP chieftain, Semiu Sodipo, described Adebutu as the candidate capable of rescuing Ogun State from what he called years of poor governance under the All Progressives Congress.
Earlier, the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, described Adebutu as a trustworthy and dependable leader while recalling his long-standing relationship with the governorship candidate’s father, Sir Kensington Adebutu.
The monarch recounted how the elder Adebutu single-handedly purchased a building for a social club after members struggled to raise funds.
Using the gesture to illustrate the family’s reputation for generosity, the Alake said he had confidence in Oladipupo Adebutu’s character.
“The son of a lion must resemble the lion. In fact, he is an even better version of his father,” the monarch said.
Publicly endorsing the PDP candidate before members of the Egba Traditional Council, Oba Gbadebo prayed for the success of his governorship ambition and described him as “trustworthy and reliable.”
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