The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state, Ladi Adebutu, have exchanged words over an alleged surge in the domestic debt profile of the state.
Naija News reports that Adebutu accused the governor of incurring N86.21 billion debt in the state within a frame of one year, 2021 and 2022.
According to the PDP governorship candidate, the domestic debt of the state increased by 55.4% between 2021 and 2022, an allegation Abiodun vehemently refused.
Adebutu made the allegation on Friday at the official flag-off of his campaign in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
He noted that the domestic debt profile of the state rose from N155.57 billion in 2021 to N241.78 billion by June 2022.
Adebutu submitted that “The domestic debt profile as recorded by this administration again rose from N155.57bn in 2021 to N241.78bn by June 2022 representing a disheartening 55.4% increase in debt.
“This government has continuously succeeded in enlisting Ogun State in the list of highest indebted states in the country.
“Under their administration, the state dropped to the 19th position on the 2021 Fiscal Performance Ranking from the 3rd position in 2020, contrary to their fake noise and hype that there was an improvement in the internally generated revenue of the state, the sharp slide from the 3rd position to the 19th position within 10 months of the review was as a result of the decline in the IGR of the state by about 28.44 per cent. Incorrect perspective, the IGR dropped with about N20.17bn within a period of 11 months.”
On that premise, the Ogun PDP governorship candidate asked the people of the state to vote out the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) next year at the polls because it’s only the PDP that can deliver the state from the “shackles” of the APC.
However, Naija News gathered that the governor while reacting to the allegation described Adebutu as ill-informed.
Abiodun, who reacted through his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, denied the allegation saying “He (Adebutu) is ill-informed and he’s merely raking mud and contriving the allegation to call attention to himself, mislead the public and malign a focused, accountable, responsive and responsible promise-keeping administration.
“Governor Abiodun does not engage in frivolous borrowing like Adebutu’s hallucinatory mind conjured.”
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