The Chairman of Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State, Hon. Alex Oladimeji says his suspension by the Oleyelogun-led Ondo State House of Assembly (ODHA) is illegal.
Oladimeji added that as elected Chairman of a council, the ODHA lack the constitutional rights to suspend him from office.
“When I got a tip off that the ODHA led by the speaker, Rt Hon. Bamidele Oleyelogun wanted to suspend me, I approached the Court for an injunction restraining them from probing and suspending me. I am surprised that after the Court order, I was suspended. This is illegal. The ODHA has no constitutional law to suspend a substantive head of a council. They can do that if I’m a caretaker head,” Oladimeji said.
According to the Court injunction, the defendants – ODHA, Oleyelogun and Clerk of the house were restrained from probing Mr Oladimeji either directly or through a proxy. The Court paper added that the sum of N50m should be paid by the defendants as damages.
But the ODHA insisted that it has every constitutional rights to probe and suspend any erring Chairman.
The house said it is suspending Mr Oladimeji for three months over misappropriation and gross misconduct.
It directed that the affairs of the Local Government should be handed over to the Vice-Chairman.
The ODHA noted that Oladimeji’s suspension comes on the heels of a petition received by the House on November 11, 2021 by some members of the Legislative arm of the Local Government Council indicting the Chairman.
The Precision NG reports that the embattled Chairman, Oladimeji had earlier disclosed that the signatures of the supposed councilors who wrote the alleged petition were forged.
Read Also: Alleged Impeachment: Our Signatures Were Forged Against Alex Oladimeji – Ifedore Councilors
But the House insisted that its Ad-hoc Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs should investigate the veracity of the petition and make appropriate recommendations to the House.
While submitting the reports of the Committee to the House for consideration, the Deputy Speaker, Samuel Aderoboye, informed that the Committee held series of meetings, interfaced with all parties involved and also had an on the spot assessment of issues and concern raised in the petition.
In its recommendations, it was established that the funds released to the Chairman/Council were not appropriately utilised for the projects as proposed, while some of the projects claimed on paper to have been completed 80 percent were discovered to be at barely 40 percent completion and poorly executed.
That judging from the testimonies of the members of the House of Assembly representing the Constituency, it was found that the Chairman did all the disbursement of funds and execution of the projects without due process.
It was recommended that the Head Of Local Government Administration of the Local Government be transferred with immediate effect.
In his ruling, the Speaker of the House, Bamidele Oleyelogun said the suspension which will last for three months, is to give room for further investigation, and is with immediate effect.
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