Published 14th Sep, 2023

By Sodeeq Atanda

Councillors of the Ijebu East Local Government of Area of Ogun State have impeached Wale Adedayo, the council chairman, on Thursday.

The local legislators had accused Adedayo of corruption and diversion of the council’s funds.

The council’s legislature is made up of 9 legislators. However, only eight of them attended the impeachment proceedings today. Of the eight, five voted in support of Adedayo’s removal while four voted against.

The summary of the proceedings was contained in a statement signed by Fasheyi Akindele, the leader of the Legislative Council, according to The Punch.

“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,” the statement read in part.

“After a 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 allow 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 the House reminded him that a bill if passed by 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 of deliberation, the impeachment of the Chairman was put to vote. Five councillors 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.”

Reacting to the development, the embattled politician maintained that the lawmakers were playing to the gallery. He, however, said the court would determine the eventual outcome.

The ex-chairman said, “I was at Ogbere this morning to honour the invitation of the Legislative Council. I did not go in with any documents. I referred them to all files in the office to guide them in the investigation.

“I’m aware they were being sponsored from Abeokuta, but they denied it. The bus that brought them into the council secretariat is from Abeokuta, it belongs to the state government. I don’t have any issue with that.

“I told them to be thorough in their investigation because posterity will judge each and every one of us. I am not fighting for myself. I am doing this in the interest of Ijebu East Local Government.”

“Meanwhile, I got information now that after I left the place, the Leader of the House pushed a motion for impeachment. Five of the councillors along with the Leader supported the motion.

“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.”

Adedayo’s political trouble might not be unconnected with his recent allegation that Governor Dapo Abiodun was denying the council of the funds accruing to it from federal allocations.

He claimed the governor’s action negatively impacted the council’s ability to perform its basic obligations to the people.

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