2027: Akinyelure demands account of Ondo Central constituency funds -

By Ade Oyeyemi

The African Democratic Congress senatorial candidate for Ondo Central, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, has challenged his successor, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, to account for constituency projects funded through allocations to the district.

Akinyelure, who represented Ondo Central in the Senate for two terms, made the demand while speaking with journalists in Akure, Ondo State, where he presented his legislative scorecard and explained his decision to contest the 2027 election.

The former senator said residents should be able to identify projects captured in the national budget for their communities and determine whether the funds allocated to such projects were translated into completed projects.

He particularly questioned the visibility of some projects relating to electricity, solar lighting and other infrastructure, saying some constituents had complained that they could not identify projects corresponding to budgetary provisions in their areas.

Akinyelure said the issue should not be about which lawmaker facilitated a project’s inclusion in the budget but whether the project was eventually executed and delivered to the people.

“Come back with your stewardship report to the people of Ondo Central to know whether you have been fair to the people,” he said.

He urged Adegbonmire and other serving representatives to make their records public and allow constituents to physically inspect projects attributed to their representation.

Akinyelure also said the funds available for constituency interventions had increased significantly compared with what was obtainable during his eight years in the Senate.

He claimed that the total constituency intervention budget available to him during his two terms was below N1.5bn, while current lawmakers could have access to about N2bn annually for constituency projects.

The former senator, however, stressed that his call was for accountability and should not be interpreted as an allegation that Adegbonmire personally received or spent the funds.

‘I don’t award contracts’

Akinyelure clarified that lawmakers facilitate projects through the budgetary process but do not award contracts for their execution.

“I don’t award contracts. I don’t do contracts. I can only facilitate inclusion in the Federal Government budget,” he said.

He also disclosed that he had petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over a road project linked to allegations made against him.

According to Akinyelure, he was no longer in the Senate when the contract was awarded and therefore could not have been responsible for the award.

He said his petition was aimed at establishing who awarded the contract, who managed the funds and whether the project was eventually executed.

Adegbonmire had previously rejected allegations concerning the Alade-Idanre-Owena Road, describing them as “pure mischief” and maintaining that the road was a Federal Ministry of Works project awarded during Akinyelure’s tenure, rather than a constituency project.

Why I visited Aiyedatiwa

Explaining his recent meeting with Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Akinyelure said the visit was to appreciate the governor for being straightforward with him over his ambition to return to the Senate.

He said he had approached Aiyedatiwa seeking the All Progressives Congress senatorial ticket but was informed that the ticket had already been committed to another aspirant.

“I went to the governor to thank him for telling me the truth. He told me that the ticket had been committed to whoever they wanted to give it to and that I could not get the ticket,” he said.

Akinyelure said he subsequently consulted his supporters before joining the ADC and emerging as the party’s candidate for Ondo Central. Current published candidate lists identify Akinyelure as the ADC candidate and Adegbonmire as the APC candidate for the district.

He said his decision to seek another term was driven by his desire to complete legislative initiatives and projects he began during his previous tenure.

Akinyelure said he had compiled a stewardship report containing details of his legislative activities, bills, constituency projects and interventions, urging constituents and journalists to scrutinise the document.

He also criticised the practice of presenting the distribution of food items as a measure of legislative performance.

“I don’t share bags of rice. This is my bag of rice for the people — my stewardship report,” he said.