The 2027 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, is facing fresh calls for investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations of irregularities in federal budget appropriations.
The Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN), a civil society organisation, has asked both anti-graft agencies to investigate the senator’s activities, particularly during his tenure as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
The group wants the allegations against him examined before he proceeds with his ambition to become Ogun State governor in 2027.
TAN said the allegations were too serious to be ignored, especially at a time when Nigerians are struggling with economic hardship following the removal of the petrol subsidy.
It maintained that public officials seeking higher political positions must be held accountable for questions surrounding their conduct in office.
In a statement signed by its President, Dr. Oluwole Oladapo, and titled “Senator Solomon Adeola (Yayi) Cannot Go Into An Election Without Clearing Allegations of Appropriation Corruption”, the organisation argued that the senator should address the allegations before seeking another elective office.
The group insisted that political influence and party support should not shield any public official from scrutiny.
It also called on the relevant authorities to establish the facts surrounding the allegations and take appropriate action where necessary.
TAN stated that “Nigeria is not a Banana Republic that can be operated as a private commercial enterprise.”
The organisation further argued that the country’s democratic institutions would lose public confidence if allegations involving prominent political figures were allowed to remain unresolved.
It called on the anti-corruption agencies to act independently and ensure that the matter receives proper attention.
Adeola, who represents Ogun West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, emerged as the APC’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election in Ogun State.
His candidacy has now become the focus of renewed criticism from TAN, which is demanding an investigation into allegations connected to his public service.
The organisation said, “As an organisation committed to public integrity, TAN asserts that there is nowhere in the civilised world where an individual aspiring to a public office of such great significance would be allowed to contest without satisfactorily clearing his name of serious ethical clouds.”
It added that the practice of using political influence to push candidates forward without addressing questions about their integrity could weaken democratic accountability.
“The ongoing reliance on the power of incumbency to shove candidates down the throats of the electorate without addressing fundamental crises of integrity undermines the core values of our democratic space,” the statement read.
A major part of TAN’s complaint concerns allegations of irregularities in federal budget appropriations between 2023 and 2026.
The group referred to a petition reportedly submitted to the ICPC by the Pan African Society for Social and Economic Change (PASSEC), which raised questions about the inclusion of allegedly untraceable or duplicated projects in federal budgets and the allocation of funds to agencies outside their statutory responsibilities.
The allegations have not, in the material provided by TAN, been established as findings of wrongdoing against Adeola.
The organisation is demanding that the appropriate agencies investigate the claims and determine whether any laws or financial regulations were breached.
TAN expressed concern that the petition had allegedly not received adequate attention from the relevant authorities.
It urged the ICPC to examine the issues raised and determine whether the budgetary processes under the senator’s oversight were conducted in accordance with established rules.
“Beyond identity disputes, we are calling on relevant anti-corruption agencies to immediately intervene and investigate the Senator’s performance as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations,” the statement said.
The group maintained that scrutiny of federal spending should not focus exclusively on the executive arm of government.
It argued that the National Assembly’s role in preparing, reviewing and approving budget proposals also makes legislative oversight important to ensuring that public funds are properly allocated and spent.
“All Nigerians are aware of the scandalous and epileptic nature of annual budget implementation in this country,” TAN stated.
The organisation further alleged that some of the problems associated with budget implementation could be linked to weaknesses in the legislative appropriation process.
It specifically questioned the performance of the committee chaired by Adeola and called for a review of the allegations surrounding the inclusion and funding of projects in successive federal budgets.
“The citizens cannot just focus on the Executive organ of government alone because most of these unprecedented budgetary break-and-quench anomalies are caused by the malfunctioning of the Appropriations Committee of the National Assembly which Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) presides over. The entire mess originates from there,” the statement added.
TAN said its demand was not limited to the senator’s political ambition but also concerned the need to protect public resources and strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s budgetary system.
It argued that alleged irregularities in the appropriation process deserve proper examination because federal budgets determine how funds are distributed across public institutions and development projects.
“The democratic values of our nation are at stake when serious allegations are glossed over by political structures,” the group declared.
“We cannot treat allegations of this magnitude as mere political noise,” Oladapo added.
The organisation also called on political parties to make integrity and accountability important considerations when selecting candidates for major public offices.
It warned against allowing party interests to take precedence over concerns raised by citizens and civil society groups.
“We call on political parties to refrain from bypassing ethical scrutiny in the deployment of candidates for significant public offices,” TAN said.
The group subsequently demanded that the EFCC and ICPC investigate the financial oversight activities associated with Adeola’s office and determine whether the allegations have any basis.
It also called for his immediate disqualification from the 2027 Ogun governorship race pending the outcome of the proposed investigation.
“Therefore, we demand that until all these allegations have been properly and satisfactorily cleared, all processes regarding the Senator’s governorship ambition should be put on hold,” the statement read.
“As a matter of fact, he deserves to be immediately disqualified from the race pending the outcome of a full investigation into all these anomalies being alleged by several stakeholders in Nigeria,” TAN added.
