Ekiti Assembly Summons Fayose, Others over ‘Misappropriated’ LGs Funds

Ekiti State House of Assembly has summoned the immediate past Governor of the state, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, to appear before its committee on Public Accounts over alleged misappropriation of local government funds while in office.

Also summoned alongside the former governor are the former chairman of the Association of Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGON), Mr. Dapo Olagunju; former Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr. Kola Kolade, and all the former 16 local government areas chairmen.

The assembly decision was as a result of the adoption of the recommendations of the joint committee of the Assembly on Public Petition and Local Governments that were recently directed to look into a petition submitted to the assembly by eight suspended council chairmen in the state

The assembly had in December 2018 suspended the 16 council chairmen while eight were reinstated in July 2019.

Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Public Petition Committee, Hon Adegoke Olajide, said the remaining eight chairmen on suspension made a plea to the assembly for the review of their indictment and possible reinstatement.

He said the chairmen, during an appearance before the committee, confessed to having diverted funds of their councils on monthly basis to an account, but said the action was in compliance with the directive of the immediate past governor.

The Public Petition Committee chairman said the council chairmen, who provided documents to back up their allegations, claimed that the instruction to withdraw the council fund was often passed to them through the former ALGON Chairman, Mr. Dapo Olagunju, and the former Commissioner for Local Government Affair, Mr. Kola Kolade.

The assembly at the plenary also summoned a former Speaker of the assembly, Pastor Kola Oluwawole; some suspended members of the fifth assembly and the former governor over the passage of a N10 billion revised Appropriation Law towards the end of the tenure of Fayose.

The motion for the summon was moved by the Assembly Leader of Government Business, Hon Gboyega Aribisogan, on the recommendation of the report of ad-hoc committee set up to probe the hurried passage of the 2018 revised budget.

A former aide of Fayose on Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka, was also directed to appear before the lawmakers for not allegedly remitting commercial revenue of above N13 million while serving as a supervisor at the state-owned Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State.

The summon was consequent upon a motion moved by the Chairman of the Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon Ayokunle Yemisi, at its plenary in Ado-Ekiti.

The lawmaker alleged that Olayinka operated an account with a first generation bank where commercial proceeds belonging to the television and radio outfits were diverted to, and the purchase of phones at exorbitant rates as contained in the White Paper.

But responding through his media aide, Fayose said: “I will not dignify an assembly of clowns who are under the total control of a governor who is desperately in search of ways to cover his electoral thievery and failure to secure the acceptance of Ekiti people.

“If they have any evidence of financial impropriety against him (Fayose), they can ask the man who used text message to appoint them to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives and accommodate them in the Government House as he has done on many occasions. As for us, we are moving on!”