Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekiti
Ekiti State House of Assembly has summoned the immediate past governor, Ayodele Fayose, to appear before its Committee on Public Account over alleged misappropriation of local government funds while in office.
Also summoned alongside the former governor are the former chairman of the Association of Local Government chairmen (ALGON), Dapo Olagunju, the former commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Kola Kolade and all the former 16 local government chairmen.
The Assembly decision was as a result of the adoption of recommendations of the joint committee of the House on Public Petition and Local Governments that were recently directed to look into a petition submitted to the Assembly by eight suspended council chairmen in the state
It had, in December 2018, suspended the 16 council chairmen while eight were reinstated in July 2019.
Presenting the report, Public Petition Committee Chairman, Adegoke Olajide, said the remaining eight chairmen on suspension made a plea to the House for the review of their indictment and possible reinstatement.
He said the chairmen, when they appeared before the committee, confessed to have diverted funds of their councils on monthly basis to an account, but said the action was in compliance with the directive of the immediate past governor.
Reacting to the development, Fayose spokesman, Lere Olayinka, said: “Fayose will not dignify an Assembly of clowns who are under the control of a governor who is desperately in search of ways to cover his electoral thievery and failure to secure the acceptance of Ekiti people.
“ If they have any evidence of financial impropriety against him (Fayose), they can ask the man who used SMS to appoint them to invite Economic and Financial Crimes Commission operatives and accommodate them in Government House as he has done on many occasions. As for us, we are moving on.”