The Oyo State House of Assembly has directed chairmen of four local government areas in the state to step aside following allegations of financial misconduct, mismanagement of public funds and abuse of office.
Four Oyo council bosses suspended for alleged financial misconduct
The decision was reached during its plenary session on Wednesday, and presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Fadeyi, following the consideration of petitions against the affected council bosses.
The suspended four council bosses were Hon. Timothy Oyeniyi (Ogbomoso South Local Government Area); Hon. Olateju Michael Alabi (Oriire); Hon. Adegbite Isaiah (Surulere); and Hon. Muritala Abiodun Oyewumi (Iwajowa Local Government Area).
The development followed petitions reportedly submitted from the affected local government areas, raising concerns over the management of council finances and the conduct of the chairmen in the discharge of their official responsibilities.
Speaking on the decision, the House Majority Leader, Hon. Sanjo Adedoyin, said the Assembly was acting within its constitutional oversight responsibilities to promote accountability, transparency and prudent management of public resources at the grassroots level.
Adedoyin, who represented Ogbomoso South State Constituency, explained that the affected council bosses had been directed to step aside pending the conclusion of investigations into the allegations against them.
He added that the vice-chairmen would take over the administration of the four respective local government areas in acting capacities while the investigation lasted.
The state legislature subsequently mandated its Committee on Local Government Matters to conduct a thorough investigation into the petitions and submit its findings and recommendations to the House within one week for further legislative action.
In a related development, Chairman of the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon. Akintunde Olajide, has confirmed that the committee had commenced the process of investigating the allegations.
Olajide explained that the state House of Assembly had the constitutional authority to investigate petitions brought before it.
He cited Sections 128 and 129 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which provided for the investigative and oversight powers of state legislatures, as the basis for the legislative action.
He disclosed that formal correspondence had been dispatched to the affected chairmen, inviting them to appear before the committee on Tuesday to respond to the allegations against them.
According to him, the committee would conclude its investigation and submit its report within the one-week period stipulated by the House.
He maintained that the investigation would follow due process, irrespective of the political affiliations or identities of the officials involved.
The committee’s findings were expected to guide the Assembly’s next course of action, including any further legislative decisions on the matter.
Meanwhile, the suspension has attracted additional political attention following reports that three of the affected chairmen, Oyeniyi, Alabi and Adegbite, defected from the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday.
The defection of the suspension of the chairmen was announced barely 24 hours before the Assembly announced its decision.
However, no established evidence has linked the defections to the suspensions, with the Assembly publicly identifying petitions bordering on alleged financial misconduct and abuse of office as the basis for its action.
The allegations against the four chairmen remained subject to investigation, and the committee’s findings will determine the Assembly’s subsequent position.
The development has once again brought the management of local government resources and accountability in grassroots administration in Oyo State into focus.
