Politics
Ogun LG chairman who accused Governor Abiodun of diverting funds suspended
The Legislative Council of Ijebu East local government area of Ogun State, has suspended the Council Chairman, Mr. Wale Adedayo for a period of three months over what it described as ‘financial maladministration’.
The LG lawmakers, in a letter titled, “Financial Maladministration of Hon. Wale Adedayo as Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Ogbere, Ijebu”, said the Council legislators had received several allegations against the Chairman Mr. Adedayo, who had accused the governor of withholding the LGs’ allocations.
The letter was signed by the Leader of the House, Hon. Fasheyi Akindele Adesuji and six other Councillors.
While directing Mr. Adedayo to hand over all the Council property in his care to the Council Vice Chairman, the Councillors noted that the three months suspension will enable them carry out necessary investigation of the Chairman.
Some of the allegations levelled against Mr. Adedayo included; that the Chairman withdrew N4million from the local government account for empowerment in 2022, but no empowerment was done till date, wastage of N2milion naira on August 20, 2022 on Isese festival, N250,000 duty tour allowance for the Chairman and other top functionaries in June 2023 and nother N250,000 duty tour allowance for the Chairman and other top officials engagement.
Others allegations are; the Chairman purportedly spent N426,000 on production of report on 2020 ‘Jigbo’ festival in Ijebu East, when we were even yet elected, inauguration expenses of Women in Politics in ljebu East LG N350,000 in 2022, but no money was released to the women group.
“Entertainment and other logistics expenses during the commissioning of Legislative Building building N350k on 18th of April 2023. Another entertainment on the same commissioning of the Legislative Building N295k same day, 18th of April 2023”.
“The second 8.2 million sent from phase 2 of the project (tables and the chairs for schools) 20 (twenty) chairs were made with N8.2m. (Eight million two hundred thousand naira)”.
“Another N20 million sent from state is nowhere to be found.”
“Another N15 million sent from the state went same way without any project to show for it.
“Award of two boreholes at a scandalous price of N1.8 milliom each, totaling N3.6 million for just two boreholes, August 2023, while he collects N3 million monthly as security votes, he has held on to the N300,000 monthly security vote of the Vice Chairman for about five months. He has refused to pay up, despite several interventions and meetings on the issue by the ALGON Executives, led by Hon. Tunde Emiola Gazal and inability to account for over N2.5m left in the project Account of the council by the previous administration for the completion of a school at Kajola, Ogbere, and the school still
remain uncompleted till date”.
Mr. Adedayo was also accused of Iilegal tax collection from Ijebu East Okada riders and drivers via what he called “levy” without the approval of the Legislative Council, which is double taxation for the people of ljebu East at this tough period.
The letter read, “having received the above allegations, there is need for thorough investigation by the House. The House therefore resolved as follows: 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 handover all the properties of the Council in his possession to the Vice Chairman, who will act as the Chairman during the suspension of the Chairman as provided in the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“The Council Chairman is directed to appear before the House on the next sitting of the House on Thursday, September 14, 2023.
“That the Council Treasurer, through the Head of the Local Government Administration (HOLGA) should furnish the House with financial/bank statement of the Council in the last two years, along with other relevant documents and vouchers as the House may require in order to aid investigations.
“That the above Resolutions be copied to the Governor of Ogun State and the Ogun State
House of Assembly”.
Politics
Edo PDP opposes suspension of LG bosses by state assembly, says ‘It’s unconstitutional’
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo says the suspension of all the chairpersons and their deputies in the 18 LGAs of the state is “unconstitutional”.
The chairpersons and their deputies were suspended on Tuesday by the Edo state house of assembly for two months over alleged misappropriation of funds.
Blessing Agbebaku, the speaker of the house, said Monday Okpebholo, governor of Edo, had written a petition to the assembly regarding the chairpersons’ refusal to submit the financial records of their LGs to the state government.
In a statement, Anthony Aziegbemi, chair of the PDP in Edo, said the “illegal” suspension is a disregard to a supreme court decision that affirms the autonomy and independence of local governments.
“How can the governor direct the State Assembly to suspend democratically elected chairmen of the 18 local councils for insubordination when these elected officials enjoy autonomy and independence as enshrined in the constitution and are not subordinates of the governor, the state assembly, or any other arm of government?,” he said.
“We are also aware that the chairmen and their vices were not even given the opportunity to be heard in their detence and were suspended unheard on watery trumped up charges, in total disregard to the constitution.
“We want to restate that the constitution remains supreme, and any attempt to undermine its provisions or disregard the judiciary and its rulings is not only illegal but also a direct attack on democracy and the rule of law.
“The speaker of the Edo state house of assembly and the entire assembly have clearly overstepped their constitutional mandates with this illegal action and we urge them to immediately reverse its decision, in respect to the rule of law and democratic governance.”
Aziegbemi said the suspended officials should report to their councils on Wednesday and carry on with their normal duties.
Also speaking on the issue, Anthony Ehilebo, a PDP chieftain, said Okpebholo has no legal backing to request the financial records of the LGAs.
“In fact, the governor and the assembly members are in contempt of the supreme court,” Ehilebo said when he appeared on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.
“The purported suspension of the local government chairmen by the state assembly is as absurd as the president asking the national assembly to suspend state governors because they refused to submit statements of accounts to him.
“This is a witch hunt. The LGA chairmen are all PDP members.”
The lawyer said the suspension “is unknown to law and will be ignored”.
Politics
Ex-sports minister Bolaji Abdullahi resigns from PDP
Bolaji Abdullahi, a former minister of sports and youth development, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He disclosed his intention to resign in a letter dated December 16 and addressed to the PDP ward chairman in Ubadawaki, Kwara state.
Abdullahi confirmed the development to TheCable on Monday.
The ex-minister also said he is yet to decide which political platform to pitch tent with.
“The decision of what to do and where to go will be taken in the future that’s left to God,” he said.
In the resignation letter, Abdullahi said he reached the “difficult” decision after days of reflection and introspection.
“I write to formally resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” the letter reads.
“I have had ample time to reflect, and I have come to the difficult conclusion that this is the only tenable option for me at this time.
“Mr. Chairman, please permit me to express, through you, my gratitude to the leadership of the party for the opportunities that I have had to serve the state and the country on its platform, and for the great moments we have shared.”
Abdullahi was the PDP candidate for the Kwara central senatorial district election in 2023. He lost the race to Salihu Mustapha of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Politics
PDP debunks inviting Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has not extended an invitation to former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the presidency on its platform in the 2027 election.
Speaking with BBC Hausa, Ibrahim Abdullahi, deputy spokesperson of the country’s main opposition party, said no ticket has been issued to the former president.
Abdullahi said the party has many eligible people who can contest for the presidency on its platform, adding that a recent interview he granted was interpreted to mean that Jonathan he asked to run on the PDP platform.
“The report that PDP has issued its presidential ticket to former President Goodluck Jonathan or invited him to contest the 2027 presidential election is not true,” he said.
“What happened is this, I had an interview with a journalist where we discussed some issues.
“But in the course of the interview, he mentioned President Jonathan, asking about our opinion of him, because there are reports that he is being urged to run for the presidency.
“I responded by saying that he (Jonathan) is eligible to contest the election, because he is a Nigerian and has the right to do that by the provision of the law, and he still has one more term left.
“So, there is nothing wrong about him contesting the presidential election because he is eligible in the face of the law.”
The deputy spokesperson said the ticket would be given to someone who has shown interest in running for the presidency.
Jonathan, then in the PDP, lost the presidential election to former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
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