The First Lady of Osun State, Titilola Adeleke, has rejected allegations made by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Women Leader in the state, Alhaja Kudirat Fakokunde, regarding the sharing of a business empowerment grant.

The APC in Osun had accused the governor’s wife of marginalising its female members during the distribution of a business support fund initiated by Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.

The initiative, part of Tinubu’s Renewed Hope programme in partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, is designed to empower grassroots women nationwide.

In Osun, about 200 women drawn from the state’s 332 wards received the grant, with each beneficiary getting N50,000 to support their businesses.

During the presentation held at the Tinubu/Shettima campaign office in Osogbo, Fakokunde alleged that despite her request for more slots, the First Lady deliberately reduced the APC women’s share.

Responding in a statement issued by her Chief Press Secretary, Adewale Adeleke, the Osun First Lady dismissed the allegations as false, unfounded, and misleading.

According to the statement, the grant distribution was conducted transparently and fairly. It explained that both Adeleke and Fakokunde had previously agreed on how the slots would be shared.

“It is rather unfortunate that such blatant lies could come from Alhaja Fakokunde, whom I respect so much. She was in my office a day before the exercise where we agreed on the modalities of sharing. At no point were APC women short-changed,” the statement read.

The First Lady clarified that 200 APC women benefited directly, while 300 other slots were allocated to grassroots traders and women across political divides.

The statement also noted that Mrs. Adeleke has consistently shown fairness by including women from opposition parties in empowerment programmes—an unprecedented step in Osun State.

It stressed that such allegations could undermine genuine efforts to improve the welfare of women through collaborations with government and private partners.

The Office of the First Lady assured the public of its continued commitment to creating opportunities for women across the state without bias or discrimination.