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The chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Wale Adedayo, has apologised for what many deemed as his “rash and sweeping” allegation of zero funds allocation to the 20 local governments of Ogun state against Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Wale Adedayo, a veteran journalist who in a letter addressed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) leader and ex-governor of the state, Aremo Segun Osoba, accused Abiodun of routinely withholding federal allocations as well as ecological funds meant for the 20 LGAs.
Adebayo also urged the elder statesman to intervene and help end the alleged stifling of the Councils since 2021.
He also followed up with a petition which he forwarded to the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), demanding a probe of the governor over the alleged diversion of local government funds.
But the Ijebu East Council boss apologised to Governor Abiodun on Tuesday night, over the allegations. Nineteen other chairmen led by the ALGON chairman in the state, Hon. Babatunde Emilola-Gazal also joined Adedayo in the Governor’s Office Okemosan to ask for forgiveness on behalf of Hon. Adedayo, who regretted his action, prostrated and begged the governor.
In a trending short video clip, the council chairmen, who besieged the Governor’s office, were also seen prostrating, and begging passionately for Abiodun’s forgiveness on behalf of Hon. Adedayo.
“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 subsequently prostrated alongside others before the governor.
Responding, Governor Abiodun declared that he had always carried out his responsibilities as the governor with “every sincerity of purpose and truthfulness,” adding that when the news of the allegations was out, he told himself it could not be the particular “Dapo Abiodun” being spoken of.
Meanwhile, the Supervisory Councilors in Ijebu east local government council of Ogun state, have disassociated themselves from the false allegations made by the Council Chairman, Wale Adedayo, against the governor.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and jointly signed by the supervisor for community Development, Hon Folake Adetayo, Supervisor for Agriculture, Hon. Kunle Adesanya, Supervisor for Finance, Hon Jesse Osibanjo and Supervisor for Water and Environment Services, Hon. Fowora Abayomi, the local government functionaries said “we are not in tandem with his actions and wouldn’t have been in support of any actions that will stall progress and development of the Local Government under any guise whatsoever.”
The supervisors therefore declared their political commitment to a brighter future for Ogun State as a priority while also pledging unconditional support to Mr. Governor Dapo Abiodun in his ‘Building Our Future Together Agenda.’
The statement reads: “The Association of Supervisory Councilors and other political appointees of Ijebu East Local Government has expressed our displeasure with the manner with which the Local Government Chairman is going about alleging and casting aspersions on the person of H.E Prince Dapo Abiodun, the Governor of Ogun State.
“We want to sincerely say we are not in tandem with his actions and wouldn’t have been in support of any actions that will stall the progress and development of the Local Government under any guise whatsoever.
“It is also noteworthy to state emphatically that we are not part of the spurious allegations raised against the Governor of Ogun State who has on several occasions sent monies in batches to the Local Government for development.
“The Chairman, in his own words, has said in his 2023 Budget Speech that the Ijebu East LG Council received N50 million (fifty million naira) from the state government in 2022 and generated another N50 million as IGR in 2022 totaling N100 million (One hundred million. Whether the allocations were judiciously spent is left for the Chairman, the Head of the Local Government Administration, and the Local Government Treasurer to defend as they are best placed to state the position of things.
“On several occasions, spending has been carried out without relating with other members of the cabinet Documents of financial transactions and approvals were never given to the Cabinet members as they are always secretly done between the Chairman, the HOLGA, and the Treasurer. We Cabinet members have remained figureheads for long. Though no charges have been made public, we urge the State Government and the House of Assembly to set up Committees to look into the spending of the Local Government since 2001 and know its true financial State.
“We once again state unequivocally that we remain loyal and committed to the mission and vision of the State for the advancement and development of Ijebu East Local Government and therefore disassociate ourselves totally from the ignoble actions displayed in the last two days by the Local Government Chairman, Mr. Wale Adedayo.”
