The opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State has voiced strong opposition to the N487.437 billion supplementary budget submitted to the House of Assembly by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, just a month before the upcoming governorship election.
In a statement issued in Akure, the PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Hon. Kennedy Peretei, commended the legislators for rejecting the amendment bill, which he believes is a tactic to mobilize funds for the governorship election campaign. Peretei stated, “Our party believes that the N487.437 billion requested is a decoy to mobilize funds to prosecute the governorship election, having tragically failed in all areas of governance to deliver the dividends of democracy after being in office for ten months.”
He urged the governor and his appointees to focus on accountability and use the remaining months of their tenure to improve the lives of the people in the state.
In a related development, the state House of Assembly summoned Finance Commissioner Omowunmi Isaac to provide clarification on the performance of the 2024 appropriation law, which was enacted before considering the supplementary budget. The commissioner did not appear at the plenary, prompting lawmakers to threaten to issue a bench warrant for her arrest if she fails to attend the next session. The legislators emphasized that they would not pass the bill for a second reading until the commissioner addresses them about the current year’s budget performance.