The councillors of the Ijebu East Local Government of Ogun State, on Thursday, impeached the suspended chairman of the local government, Wale Adedayo, over allegations of financial misappropriation and diversion of council funds, among other allegations made against him.
This was according to a statement by the leader of the legislative council of the LGA, Fasheyi Akindele.
Meanwhile, Adedayo after his appearance before the councillors said he was not fighting any personal cause with the government in power in the state, but fighting for the good people of the local government.
The LGA’s statement read, “The councillors of Ijebu East Local Government of Ogun State earlier today impeached the suspended chairman of the local government, Wale Adedayo, over allegations of financial misappropriation and diversion of council funds, among other allegations made against him.
“After a series of invitations by the House, which were ignored in the past, Adedayo eventually appeared before the legislative council today as the councillors continued their probe of the chairman.
“The suspended chairman owned up before the full House of 11 councillors that he diverted federal allocations sent to the council by the state government and used them for purposes other than what the state government approved.
“Adedayo also agreed that he spent the council funds till August 2023, even when the budget was yet to be approved, whereas the law only allows him to spend till March 2023.
“Adedayo also opened up that he used N5.2m to produce 20 pieces of chairs and tables instead of the 290 chairs that the money was meant for as approved by the state government.
“On the issue of illegal levies and strikers to commercial transport operators in the local government, Adedayo said he thought the House had passed the Bill to that effect, but the Leader of the House reminded him that a Bill if passed by the House, would have been jointly signed by the leader of the House and the council chairman.
“That the chairman has run afoul of the laws of the land, specifically the Ogun State Local Government Laws 2006 and committed serious impeachable offences was therefore established.
“After about three hours deliberation, the impeachment of the chairman was put to votes. Five councillors voted for his impeachment, four voted against, with one abstention.
“Therefore, the leader of the House pronounced Mr Wale Adedayo impeached as the Chairman of Ijebu East LG.”
Adedayo had earlier in the morning appeared before the legislators of the local government to defend the allegation of financial misappropriation and maladministration levelled against him.
Our correspondent gathered that Adedayo arrived at the local government secretariat in the company of his two aides around 7.4.7am. He was called to appear before the councillors around 10.22am and came out around 12.02pm.
The councillors were said to have been brought into the local government in a white Coaster civilian bus with Reg N OGUN AH 782 DED guarded by the police in a white Toyota Hilux patrol van.
At least about 40 security officers drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Directorate of State Security Services, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were reported to be on the ground to maintain law and order.
Adedayo, while speaking on his appearance before the councillors said he was not fighting any personal cause with the government in power in the state, but fighting for the good people of the local government.
He said, “I was at Ogbere this morning to honour the invitation of the legislative council. I did not go in with any documents. I referred them to all files in the office to guide them in the investigation.
“I’m aware they were being sponsored from Abeokuta, but they denied it. The bus that brought them into the council secretariat is from Abeokuta. It belongs to the state government. I don’t have any issue with that.
“I told them to be thorough in their investigation because posterity will judge each and every one of us. I am not fighting for myself. I am doing this in the interest of Ijebu East Local Government.
“Meanwhile, I got information now that after I left the place, the Leader of the House pushed a motion for impeachment. Five of the councillors along with the Leader supported the motion.
“I told them this morning they were acting a script written by those in Abeokuta. All the documents about the allegations against me are in the office. But I know Mr Governor is offended that we opened up to the public about how the Federal Allocation belonging to Ijebu East Local Government was being spent.
“I have done my duty as an Afenifere by letting our Leader know why we have not been able to do much since we got into office. The rest is for the court to decide.”
Councillors of Ijebu East Legislative Council had recently suspended the chairman for three months citing alleged maladministration and financial malpractices and directed the Vice Chairman of the council to take over pending the conclusion of its investigation.
The suspension of Adedayo came on the heels of a letter he had written to a former governor in the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba, alleging that the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, had hijacked funds meant to develop the local government totalling about N10.8bn while also forwarding a petition to the anti-graft agencies over the same allegations.
The Joint Account and Allocation Committee in the state saddled with the responsibility of managing the local government federal allocations has, however, dismissed the allegation, affirming that every fund approved by the committee passed through the various Local Council Accounts.
The state government, while speaking on the allegation of local government fund diversion as alleged by Adedayo, had insisted that no dime of the local government was missing and that it had always augmented the allocations for the council areas otherwise it would have been practically impossible for them to meet up with their financial obligations.
Meanwhile, sources within the government said the state government knew nothing about the impeachment as the matter was purely between the impeached LG boss and the lawmakers who were only doing duties as enshrined in the constitution.