- The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has called for the immediate resignation of Governor Ademola Adeleke following allegations of a massive N13.7 billion annual payroll fraud.
- The allegations surfaced from a forensic audit report by Sally Tibbot Consulting, which claimed the state is paying thousands of ghost workers, including a single individual allegedly receiving salaries meant for over 5,000 names.
- The state government has dismissed the claims as “APC-sponsored fake news,” asserting that the audit was flawed and that many flagged individuals were legitimate civil servants inherited from the previous administration.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State on Friday, February 20, 2026, demanded the resignation of Governor Ademola Adeleke following the discovery of an alleged N13.7 billion annual payroll fraud within the state’s civil service.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the opposition party’s call for resignation was made during a press conference in Osogbo, led by the Director of Media, Chief Kola Olabisi, on behalf of the party chairman, Tajudeen Lawal.
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The scandal stems from a report by Sa’adat Bakrin-Ottun, the CEO of Sally Tibbot Consulting, the firm hired by the Adeleke administration in January 2023 to sanitize the state’s payroll.
According to the audit findings, the state government is losing ₦13,716,914,129.28 annually to non-existent employees. A particularly startling claim in the report alleged that a single bank account was found to be receiving monthly salaries meant for 5,615 ghost workers.
Chief Kola Olabisi stated during the briefing that the people of Osun deserve accountable leadership, arguing that the siphoned funds could have been used to empower no fewer than 50,000 youths in the state.
“We call on statutory anti-corruption agencies, particularly the ICPC and the EFCC, to thoroughly investigate the alleged payroll fraud and determine the extent of culpability of all individuals involved,” Olabisi said.
The party also called for the investigation of the governor’s elder brother, Dr. Deji Adeleke, and the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, in connection with the findings.
Adding to the pressure, a former Commissioner for Local Government, Hon. Adebayo Adeleke, urged the Governor’s elder brother to fulfill a previous vow to expose the Governor if he failed in his duties.
He insisted that the magnitude of the scandal warrants the Governor’s immediate exit from office.
The Osun State Government, through the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, described the allegations as a smear campaign orchestrated by the APC. Alimi maintained that there was no N13 billion fraud, explaining that a subsequent verification exercise confirmed that more than two-thirds of those flagged as ghost workers were bona fide staff with valid documentation.
The Commissioner further alleged that the consultant was hired to probe payroll padding inherited from the previous administration of Adegboyega Oyetola.
“If there is any fraud, it is not that of Governor Adeleke but that of former Governor Oyetola, as the audited payroll was inherited from the Oyetola administration,” Alimi stated.
He added that Governor Adeleke remains open to investigations by anti-corruption agencies, noting that the Governor himself initiated the audit to ensure transparency.
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