Alleged LG funds diversion: ‘We Are Sorry’, Ogun Council Chairmen Prostrate For Abiodun
… Adebutu calls for Abiodun’s impeachment
.. Abiodun denies tampering with LG allocations
… Says his administration augments federal allocations to Ogun LGs
By Aremu Sosanys
The allegation of illegal tampering with funds meant for local governments by the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun took another dimension on Tuesday evening as all Council Chairmen in Ogun State under the umbrella of Association of Local Government Chairmen, (ALGON) stormed the Oke Mosan Governors Office in Abeokuta to prostrate and beg Governor Dapo Abiodun for forgiveness.
Salient Times report that the Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, Wale Adedayo, had accused the governor of withholding the LGs’ allocations.
Adedayo lamented that LG chairmen had been unable to execute projects in the last two years, and asked former Governor Olusegun Osoba to urgently wade in, and convince Abiodun to allow “the statutory Federal Allocation to Local Governments in Ogun State to reach each of them as envisaged by the 1999 Constitution.
The Council boss elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) like Abiodun, also petitioned the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), calling for the investigation of the governor over alleged diversion of local government funds.
According to him, Abiodun has not paid a dime to Local government accounts as Federal allocation in the last two years.
The council boss in the petition, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent on Tuesday also accused the governor of denying the local government chairmen of the Ecological fund and other entitlements due to them.
“Revenue sources, which the local governments should benefit from have mostly been taken over by the State Government. Motor Parks and attendant dues which should go to each local government are being centrally managed by the State Government. Primary school administration and control have been taken over too. There are many others. But, what I crave is for you to assist in helping our people. Why have they taken over revenue sources of the local government? How do they want the grassroots to breathe?
“In Ijebu East Local Government Area, we a complete rural section. Our people need roads, especially in the interior. They need water. The Health Centres are nothing to write home about. The primary schools are something else. It is a crying shame that, in 2023 some of our people still depend on water from the stream to drink!
“Be assured that I am readily available to answer any question about what I have written here,” he said.
Adebutu calls for Abiodun’s impeachment
Reacting to the allegation, the Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun state, Ladi Adebutu has called for the impeachment of Governor Dapo Abiodun for allegedly diverting the statutory Federal Allocation due to the state’s local governments in the last two years.
Adebutu called on members of the State House of Assembly to investigate Abiodun and commence the impeachment process of the governor if found guilty.
Adebutu who spoke through his media aide, Afolabi Orekoya in Abeokuta on Tuesday said the governor has violated the constitution and committed an impeachable offence, hence he must be punished.
Adebutu said, “The local government chairman has also written a letter to the Speaker of the House of Assembly which we believe that the Speaker will not sweep under the carpet because he is one of the team members of the governor.
“This is purely an impeachable offense, if this is found to be true, it is an impeachable offense and we are really watching the House of Assembly members to see how they are going to follow this through and to see their action and steps they will take when this letter is brought to the floor of the House.
“Thank God we are not having the usual robber stamp House of Assembly in Ogun state now. We have very responsible, very committed members of PDP who are also in the House of Assembly now and I’m sure from what we have heard from our members this morning they are already taking steps to ensure that the Rule of Law is being followed on this matter.
“We believe that he will bring the letter out and read on the floor of the House and we believe the members of the House will do the needful”.
Adebutu noted that the local government chairman’s outburst has confirmed his allegation of diversion of N153 billion local government funds by Abiodun.
He also called on the anti-graft agencies to investigate Abiodun for allegedly embezzling local government funds.
Adebutu lamented that the Abiodun-led administration has rendered local government administration redundant and stifled development at the grassroots level.
“The money that was meant to be used by the local government to make the lives of the people better is being siphoned. If you go around Ogun state, all the trunk C roads, and local government roads are in terrible states.
“The local government chairmen are just sitting down warming the benches at their respective local governments. We are very glad that this is coming from a serving local government chairman, we have been vindicated.
“The truth has actually prevailed, We will follow this through, The party and my principal will follow this through the petitions he has written to EFCC and ICPC to ensure that they actually act on and these petitions are not swept under the carpet.
“We want EFCC and the ICPC who have received the letters from the Chairman of the Ijebu East local government area in Ogun state to act and beam their searchlight into what has happened to the N153b of Ogun state local government since the inception of Dapo Abiodun – led administration”, Adebutu said.
I never tampered with LG funds- Abiodun
But the governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Lekan Adeniran, on Tuesday, said he had never tampered with local government funds.
He wondered how adding to the funds allocated to the local councils to enable them to meet their obligations amounted to hijacking their funds.
Abiodun said that funds meant for local governments in the state are being handled by the constitutionally recognised Joint Account and Allocation Committee (JAAC).
The governor said that JAAC members ensure that the third tier of government gets the required allocations for optimal performance.
PDP’s Uninformed Muckraking – APC
Responding to the PDP’s statement, . All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has described as “uninformed muckraking” a call by the People’s Democratic Party (Party) and its defeated candidate in the last governorship election over unsubstantiated allegations on LG fund.
In a statement issued in Abeokuta on Tuesday and signed by Tunde Oladunjoye, APC said “a sinking man in the sea who will jump at anything, including a straw, the PDP Ogun State has jumped into the fray of the current discussion on Local Government allocation in the state.
The statement reads: “One would have expected a serious party to make investigation and access credible data before commenting, but not surprisingly, the PDP and its defeated governorship candidate, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, who is currently a fugitive in UK, jumped into the fray with an opportunistic agenda asking for the “impeachment” of Governor Dapo Abiodun.
“The state government has rightly made its position known on the issue and awaits due process of the law, especially when the character involved claimed to have written a petition to the relevant agencies of the federal government.
“ It is obvious that the PDP, whose government in Ogun State broke the records of maladministration and thuggery, assumes that Ogun people have forgotten and that the present government will be like theirs of ignoble past. A party that recently boasted of victory at the Tribunal, no longer wants to wait; it’s now singing a song of “impeachment”.
“We urge discerning people of Ogun State to ignore the machinations of these sore losers, and who were roundly rejected by Ogun people at the last general elections, despite the 200,000 preloaded Verve ATM cards used for vote buying.
“The remarkable feats of the current Administration is attested to by the good people of Ogun State and no amount of political gang-up, and propaganda will distract Prince Dapo Abiodun and his team.”
‘We are Sorry’ – LG Chairmen
However, there was twist and the council chairmen led by the ALGON Chairman, Babatunde Emilola-Gazal, stormed the governor’s office in Abeokuta, and begged for forgiveness.
Adedayo who is in Centre of the controversy was in attendance.
A short clip of the meeting which has gone viral showed the ALGON begging for forgiveness on behalf of his colleagues and in particular, Adedayo, who raised the allegations.
“Your Excellency, we have come here to beg you as a father that you are, as a father of all in the state, we want you to forgive us.
“Your Excellency, if you don’t forgive us, who do we run to? So, on behalf of all of us, I am tendering this apology and in particular , on behalf of Wale Adedayo,” Emilola-Gazal said, and subsequent prostrated alongside others, before the governor.
Abiodun in his remarks boasted that he had always carried out his responsibilities as the governor with “every sincerity of purpose.”
