The political battle over the President Muhammadu Buhari Estate in Abeokuta has taken a fresh turn as former Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, launched a scathing attack on his successor, Governor Dapo Abiodun, accusing him of taking credit for a project he claimed was almost completed before the end of his administration.
Amosun, through his media office, dismissed Abiodun’s claim of “rescuing” the estate from possible forfeiture as a distortion of history, insisting that the multi-billion-naira project had already reached an advanced stage before the current administration came into power in 2019.
In a statement titled “The Rescue of PMB Estate by Gov Dapo Abiodun: The Limit of Falsehood,” the former governor’s media office said the claim that Abiodun saved the estate from collapse was “far from the truth.”
According to Amosun, the infrastructure contract for the estate, valued at about N3.5 billion, had been fully mobilised, with work reaching about 95 per cent completion before he handed over power.
The former governor said the estate, located along the Abeokuta-Sagamu Expressway, was built on about 500 hectares of acquired land, with the first phase covering 170 hectares and a pilot scheme developed on about 50 hectares.
He explained that the estate was designed as a Three Arms residential zone to provide accommodation for top officials of the executive, legislature and judiciary.
Amosun’s camp said major infrastructure, including 43 roads, street lighting, electricity network, water distribution system, drainage facilities, central sewage system, gas supply lines and fibre optic cable ducts, had already been provided under his administration.
The statement added that the project was inaugurated in 2016 as part of Ogun State’s 40th anniversary celebration by former President Muhammadu Buhari, arguing that the event proved the estate was not abandoned.
“President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the estate and drove round the tarred roads with all the street lights on,” the statement said.
The former governor questioned how a project without basic infrastructure could have hosted a former president and a state banquet.
The renewed controversy followed claims by the Abiodun administration that the governor rescued the estate from possible forfeiture after a legal dispute with the contractor over unpaid obligations.
But Amosun challenged the account, asking how a contractor who had been fully mobilised and a project that was already 95 per cent complete could have become threatened with litigation and forfeiture.
He demanded explanations on when the alleged dispute started, the amount involved and what led to the reported legal action against the estate.
The former governor also raised concerns over subscribers who purchased plots in the estate, especially Nigerians in the diaspora, alleging that some allottees with valid documents were now facing difficulties accessing their properties.
Amosun’s media office challenged the Abiodun government to provide details of what new infrastructure it added to the estate.
“What precisely was added — the roads, electricity, drainage, access, sewage system or what?” the statement asked.
The former governor also demanded a full account of the entire 500-hectare estate, asking how much land remained intact, how much had been allocated, developed or affected by disputes.
The statement further questioned the 108-unit housing project being celebrated by the Abiodun administration, alleging that the development occupies only a small portion of the estate where infrastructure had already been provided.
It also claimed that some changes made to the original master plan had affected the Three Arms Zone concept of the estate.
Concluding, Amosun’s media office insisted that the records showed the estate was already conceived, funded, developed and inaugurated before Abiodun assumed office.
It said the claim that Abiodun “rescued” the Buhari Estate was instead “a political narrative” that failed to reflect the history of the project.
The Abiodun administration had earlier announced that the governor transformed the stalled project into a 108-unit modern residential community and prevented possible forfeiture.
The estate is scheduled for inauguration on Tuesday, August 18, by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Don’t Miss Out! Join our WhatsApp Channel for instant news updates. Click here to join
ALSO READ:
Why Ogun Governor is fighting me — Senator Gbenga Daniel
Activist who accused Gov. Abiodun of serially Impregnating women declared wanted
