The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CCSO) on Tuesday declared that the fraud allegations earlier raised against the Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, and the agency’s Chief of Staff, Mr. Olanrewaju Obasa, were “entirely false, baseless, and deliberately fabricated by interests opposed to the far-reaching reforms currently underway at the BPP.”
This was announced at a press conference in Abuja, where leaders of all seventeen member-groups appeared together to reverse their earlier position and issue a public apology.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, its leadership explained that the uproar that followed the initial claims prompted an emergency joint meeting of all seventeen member organizations, a thorough review of official records, and direct engagement with verifiable evidence provided by the Bureau.
According to the CCSO, this process revealed that the allegations were not only unfounded but had been amplified by individuals and groups unsettled by ongoing procurement reforms.
In a rare act of institutional self-correction, the coalition openly withdrew its previous statements and read out an unreserved apology on the podium:
“On behalf of the entire Coalition and its over seventeen member organizations, we hereby unreservedly withdraw every statement, press release, social media post, or public comment issued by CCSO or any of its affiliates that implicated Dr. Adebowale Adedokun and Mr. Olanrewaju Obasa in any wrongdoing.”
The apology was extended to the management and staff of BPP, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, and the Federal Government “for the distress, embarrassment, and reputational harm caused by our earlier position.”
Announcing immediate fallout from the reversal, the CCSO confirmed that the national rally earlier scheduled for December 5 had been cancelled, noting that “officially and irrevocably, the rally is cancelled,” with all coordinators directed to stand down.
Beyond the apology, the coalition issued a vote of confidence in the BPP leadership, stating that evidence now showed Dr. Adedokun was “not the problem but part of the solution.”
It cited reforms such as the Price Intelligence Unit, the Procurement Surveillance and Audit Unit, the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, expanded affirmative procurement, increased inclusion of women, youth and SMEs, and the contractor rating system expected in 2026.
The coalition also urged media platforms that published the claims to show equal accountability by pulling down misleading reports and issuing corrections.
It commended the BPP leadership for what it described as “transparency and willingness to be held accountable — qualities that true reformers embody.”
