Ondo Assembly Suspends Oladimeji Over Alleged Fraud

• Ondo State House of Assembly on Thursday suspended the Chairman of Ifedore Local Government of Ondo State, Alex Oladimeji, for alleged misappropriation of funds.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the action of the assembly was not unconnected with the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ifedore LGA.

The house during the plenary session sanctioned the chairman after a report submitted to the House by the Ad hoc Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs found him guilty of the offence.

Some councilors in Ifedore Local Government were said to have earlier petitioned the assembly alleging that the embattled council chairman was involved in financial recklessness, misappropriation of funds, among other abuse of office.

Sequel to the allegation, the house was said to have set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the veracity of the allegations against Oladimeji.

While submitting the committee report to the assembly at the plenary, the Chairman of the committee and Deputy Speaker of the House, Mr. Samuel Aderoboye noted that investigation by the committee during a visit to the local government revealed that the funds released to the council were not appropriately utilised for the projects for which it was meant.

He added that some of the projects which the chairman claimed on paper to have been 80 per cent completed were discovered during the visit to be at barely 40 per cent level.

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Aderoboye maintained that investigation revealed that the council boss did “all disbursement of funds and execution of projects in the council in isolation, without involving the councillors and other relevant council officials.”

The committee recommended the suspension of the chairman for three months.

In his remarks, the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Bamidele Oleyelogun, lauded the committee, saying it “carried out its investigation in line with the constitutional provisions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The speaker noted that the council chairman was found guilty by the ad hoc committee of all the allegations levelled against him.

In his reaction, the embattled chairman said he did not commit the offence, saying the matter was political and a conspiracy against him.

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