Councillors impeach Ogun LG chair who accused Abiodun of fund diversion

Embattled Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, Wale Adedayo, has been impeached.

Five out 11 Councillors in the LGA announced Adedayo’s impeachment on Thursday.

His impeachment was announced shortly after he appeared before the Legislative council at the Secretariat in Ogbere.

Adedayo had accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of diverting statutory Federal allocations of all the 20 LGs in the state.

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He also petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), seeking Abiodun’s probe on the allegations.

Adedayo was later suspended by the seven councillors from the LG following allegations against the governor, and also held and grilled for three days by the Department of State Security (DSS), Ogun Command, in Abeokuta.

However, the journalist-turned-politician appeared before the Councillors investigating allegations of mismanagement against him, where he reportedly responded to questions from the legislators and left after about two hours.

A statement signed by Fasheyi Akindele, the leader of Ijebu East Legislative Council, said after Adedayo’s impeachment motion was put forward, five Councillors voted in support, four against, while one abstained.

According to the statement, Adedayo owned up to all the allegations against him when he appeared before the Legislative Council on Thursday.

It reads, “The councillors of ijebu East Local Government of Ogun State, earlier today, impeached the suspended Chairman of the local government, Hon. Wale Adedayo, over allegations of financial misappropriation and diversion of council funds, among other allegations made against him.

“After 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 councilors 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 laws only allows him to spend till March 2023.

“Adedayo also opened-up that he used N5.2 million 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 House reminded him that a bill, if passed by the the House, would have been jointly signed by the Leader of the House and the Council Chairman.

“That the chairman has run foul 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 councilors 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.”

When contacted, Adedayo told Daily Trust that “I did not own up to anything. They were going to set up a committee, which was expected to look at the files in the office. But after I left things changed.”

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