LG chairman suspended days after accusing Ogun governor of diversion of council funds.

LG chairman suspended days after accusing Ogun governor of diversion of council funds.

It comes on the heels of Mr Adedayo's allegations that Ogun State governor Abiodun was mismanaging local council funds.

The Legislative Council of Ijebu East Local Government of Ogun State has suspended the chairman of the council, Wale Adedayo, days after he accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of mismanaging local council funds in the state.

In a series of posts on his Facebook page on Thursday morning, Mr Adedayo had said his councillors were being coerced to sack him.

A few hours later, a resolution emerged in which the councillors announced the suspension of Mr. Adedayo for “financial maladministration.”

According to the document signed by the leader of the house, Adesuji Fasheyi, and six others, lawmakers said they had resolved to suspend Mr Adedayo while they investigate the allegations against him.

The council has 11 members.

The lawmakers also directed Mr Adedayo to appear before them at their next sitting on 14 September in Ogbere, the council’s headquarters.

“That the Chairman steps aside for the proper conduct of investigations.

“The Council Chairman, Hon. Wale Adedayo, is hereby suspended for three months pending the conclusion of the investigations, and therefore directed to hand over all the properties of the council in his possession to the Vice Chairman…,” the council’s resolution further stated.

It also directed the council treasurer through the Head of the Local Government Administration (HOLGA), to furnish them with the bank statements of the council in the last two years, along with other relevant documents and vouchers required by the house for its investigation.

Punishment? However, the development is an apparent punishment for Mr Adedayo for standing up against Governor Abiodun over the alleged illegal diversion of local council funds in his state.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Adedayo, in a letter on Sunday to a former governor of the state, Segun Osoba, complained that local governments were under a regime of “zero allocation” due to the the governor allegedly seizing their federal allocations and internally generated revenue.

The Nigerian constitution, in section 162 prohibits state governments from interfering with local government funds, but state governors are widely believed to meddle in the use of funds belonging to the councils.

Mr Adedayo followed up by writing petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the ICPC containing the same allegations.

However, the governor, in a statement on Tuesday by his spokesperson, Kunle Adeniran, denied the allegation, saying he had, instead, been augmenting allocations to the local councils.

On Wednesday, the chairpersons of the 18 local governments in the state, under the umbrella of the Association of Local Government Councils of Nigeria (ALGON) went to the Government House in Abeokuta to

apologise for the ’embarrassment’ caused the governor by their colleague’s remarks.

Reacting to the latest development, Mr Adedayo said his suspension did not follow due process.

Speaking with journalists, he alleged that two of the councillors who signed the resolution suspending him were led to the council secretariat at gunpoint.

“Suspension or impeachment of a local government chairman ought to follow due process. The first stage is a letter to me about the so-called infractions.

“Of course, they stormed the council secretariat with more than 100 armed policemen this morning, along with thugs and ‘agberos’.

“They think we were going to react violently as they had prepared. We are in a democracy. We’ll challenge them democratically.

“All the allegations are baseless and without foundation. They forcefully marched the Clerk of the House to Abeokuta yesterday along with the local government’s HOLGA. So, we knew what the Governor was up to before the charade of this morning.

“Two of the councillors were led to the Council at gunpoint. And immediately after they finished, all of them were taken in a vehicle to Abeokuta.

“Of course, I was told that N1 million was given to each person that signed. We are not bothered. Once the EFCC comes, the books of the local government can also be opened for them to see,” he added.

Mr Adedayo had earlier on Thursday morning raised the alarm that his councillors were being coerced to suspend him from office.

“Invading the peaceful Ogbere community with mobile policemen in order to impeach Wale Adedayo is desperation. As I told the SSG yesterday, we took an oath with our fathers that we’ll make this land better

than we met it. You can kill the body, but not the spirit of Wale Adedayo

“Yesterday, the Clerk of the House was summoned to Abeokuta along with our HOLGA. Of course, they wanted to impeach me since Tuesday. They claimed it has been done today after more than 100 armed policemen invaded the local government.

“So, after this one, does it make the allegations go away? Mr. Governor still have (sic) to account for all the funds since 2019. And we are yet to open another box on the N52 billion,” Mr Adedayo wrote on Facebook.

The police spokesperson in the state, Omolola Odutola, could not be reached to comment on the alleged involvement of the police in the alleged siege to the local council secretariat in Ogbere.

Mrs Odutola did not pick up her calls or respond to a text message sent to her by our correspondents on Thursday.

After listening to the council bosses, the governor reminded them that he had adhered to the provisions of the constitution in managing local government funds in the state.

He said the funds were managed by the Joint Account and Allocation Committee (JAAC), the lawful entity for the distribution of funds to local governments.

“This job, I am doing it with every iota of sincerity and I will continue to ensure that I am guided by my promises during my sojourn to this place,” Mr Abiodun said.

Commenting later on his colleagues’ actions before the governor, Mr Adedayo said, “It is a democracy, anybody can pick the choice they want. It is either they want to serve the people who elected them or they want to serve the Governor, the choice is theirs.

“Let their constituents ask them how much have they got so far and how much have they expended on what? That is it, if it is true, they are begging, that means they were being given money, so how much have they collected so far and what did they use the money for, where is the balance? That is what their constituents should be asking them.”

FROM: PREMIUM TIMES