•Ajagunla Hoarded Palliative, Insensitive To Staff, Constituents Plight – Aaraj
•Aaraj Requested N30m To Support My Ambition Which I Declined – Senator
•Ajagunla Owed Me 5 Months’ Salary – Ex-Media Aide
•He Was Sacked For Disrespecting Tinubu – Senator
The Senator Representing Osun Central, Olubiyi Fadeyi and the founder of Aaraji Empowerment Foundation, Engr Kehinde Raji, have been throwing shades at each other following the resignation of the personal assistant on media to the senator, Timileyin Oyeniyi.
Osun Defender reported that Oyeniyi, who served the Senator for over a year, announced his resignation in a post on his official Facebook page.
Oyeniyi, in an interview with the Medium, also alleged that the Senator owed him 5 months’ salary, adding that he resigned due to his dissatisfaction with the senator’s leadership style and unresolved salary arrears.
But the senator in a statement signed by his chief of staff, Tunde Badmus, said Oyeniyi was sacked for gross misconduct, negligence of duties and disrespect towards President Bola Tinubu.
Since the issue came to the fore, Raji, popularly known as Aaraj, and the media team of the senator have engaged in a war of words.
Aaraj had posted on his Facebook page about the senator owing his staff salaries.
But the chief of staff to the senator, Tunde Badmus in a statement titled, “Beware of Raji Kehinde Aaraj: A Fraudster with No Political Value, An Animal without Honour”, said Aaraj was soiling the name of the senator because of the lawmaker didn’t give him a N30 million he requested.
The statement alleged that Aaraj, before the 2023 elections, agreed to work with the senator only if he was paid N30 million.
The statement read in part, “Before the 2023 elections, Raji Kehinde Araaj initially agreed to work with Distinguished Senator Ajagunla Olubiyi Fadeyi, representing Osun Central Senatorial District. He promised to mobilize support for the senator but only if he paid a ridiculous gratification of N30million. Senator Ajagunla, to his credit, saw through this and refused to succumb to such a request.
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“That was when Araaj showed his true colours and identified with Ajagunla’s opponent. Election project is far beyond a baby called Araj. And as God will have it, without his so-called “mobilisation”, Senator Ajagunla Olubiyi Fadeyi still won the election. Araj was even defeated in his own voting unit and ward.
“After that, Araaj changed tactics again, asking Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi to buy a property from him in Ibadan or lend him N30 million for an undisclosed business. But it was just more of the same manipulation and greed. I told him plainly, this is not business; this is politics. Araaj attempt to exploit Senator Ajagunla’s goodwill to trend will be disastrous to him.”
But Aaraj, in a swift reaction, denied the allegations and vowed to sue Badmus for defamation of character.
The philanthropist also said he would mobilise 5,000 Osun Central constituents to demand the distribution of bags of rice palliatives from the federal government, which he alleged was hoarded by the senator.
According to Aaraj, Ajagunla was the one who begged for his support in 2023, adding that the senator reneged on his promises to those who worked for him.
“Sometimes in 2022, Hon Akin Titiloye and Hon Tunde Badmus phoned him to book an appointment to bring Ajagunla Olubiyi Fadeyi to his GRA residence at Okefia, Osogbo, in order to support his senatorial ambition which he obliged.
“Unfortunately, after mobilising 200 men and women for him to form a political structure for his senatorial ambition, Ajagunla and his aides, including Tunde Badmus, failed to fulfil their promise to empower those mobilised with #10,000 (Ten thousand naira) each to support their Nano businesses till date.
“To preserve his integrity, AARAJI had to give those in attendance #2000 each from his personal pocket and gave a flimsy reason to cover up the deceit of Ajagunla and became very careful of him.
“Prior to the deceitful empowerment program, Ajagunla promised to buy three plots of land from AARAJI from his real estate business at #10 million naira each, Kejebu as he is fondly called reminded him as a marketer but he started avoiding him so AARAJI just closed his chapter without hard feelings.
“Subsequently, Alhaji Muniru Raji, MHR Adewale Gangaria, Alhaji Sikiru Were,Tunde Badmus and others called for a peace meeting at Alhaji Muniru’s house.
Unknown to Alhaji Muniru, Tunde Badmus lied to him on behalf of Ajagunla that it was because IKEJEBU demanded #30million from them that was why AARAJI ditched their senatorial aspirant before the election. But when KEJEBU narrated what transpired, Alhaji Muniru and MHR Adewale Gangaria were furious to know that Ajagunla and his team goofed, and they insisted that the Senator apologise to AARAJI else they’ would withdraw their support from his senatorial ambition.
At last, he called AARAJI on the phone to apologize, and KEJEBU accepted his apology.”
The post added, “For public knowledge, after Senator Ajagunla Olubiyi Fadeyi launched #2Billion intervention fund to bamboozle constituents of Osun central senatorial district, he proceeded to commission his newly built Event centre in Ibadan(Harvard event centre at Mokola).
₦Meanwhile, empowerment equipment such as spraying machines, cassava grinding machines, bags of fertilizer, and 50 motorcycles are all from the federal government and not bought by the Senator.
“The icing on Senator Ajagunla Olubiyi Fadeyi’s insensitivity to the plights of constituents of Osun central senatorial district is the fact that he had to charter an aircraft to convey the Wife of the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and other dignitaries that graced the commissioning of the event centre as revealed by Mrs Akpabio during the commissioning programme, while the constituents that he represented are grudging in hardship and hunger..aides owed unpaid salaries for months.”
Kazeem Badmus is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience. A professional in journalism and media writing, Kazeem prioritses accuracy and factual reportage of issues. He is also a dexterous finder of the truth with conscious delivery of unbiased and development oriented stories.
