Embattled Ogun council boss Wale Adedayo impeached

By Adejoke Adeleye

The councillors in Ijebu East Local Government of Ogun State, in the early hours of today, impeached the suspended Chairman of the council, Wale Adedayo.

He was allegedly impeached over allegations of financial misappropriation and diversion of council funds.

The impeachment happens after series of invitations by the councillors which were ignored.

According to statement signed by the leader of the council, Hon Fasheyi Akindele, 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.”

The statement added that Adedayo also agreed that he spent the council’s funds till August 2023, even when the budget was yet to be approved, whereas the laws only allowed him to spend till March 2023.

The statement reads further that Adedayo 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, 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.

The House said 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.

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 Adedayo impeached as the Chairman of Ijebu East LG.

In reaction to the impeachment, Adedayo said the councillors were only acting scripts written by those in power in Abeokuta, capital of Ogun state.

He said the governor was only pained because he opened up to the public on how the state has been mismanaging the Federal government’s allocations meant for Local governments in the state.

“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,” he said.