In a dramatic gesture, 18 out of 20 local government chairmen in Ogun State prostrated before Governor Dapo Abiodun to apologize for the allegation made by one of them, Wale Adedayo, that the state government had been diverting funds meant for the local governments, resulting in zero allocation to them.
In a video that has gone viral, the local government chairmen, led by Emilola Kazal, the Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Council and Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) Chairman in the state, denied the allegation made by Wale Adedayo at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The local government chairmen, including Wale Adedayo, apologized unconditionally and acknowledged that they had made mistakes.
In response, Abiodun expressed his dismay at the unfounded accusation against him. He was surprised by the allegation, noting that he had made several interventions on behalf of the councils to alleviate their burden rather than starving them.
He stated that he and two other governors had requested that President Bola Tinubu provide a separate intervention fund for local governments.
Meanwhile, Adedayo, in a telephone conversation with The Guardian, insisted that he stands by his allegation, which he said, had already been sent to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt and Other Practices Commission (ICPC).
He also challenged his fellow chairmen, who prostrated, to explain to Nigerians and their councils what they have been doing with the allocations that they claimed to have collected so far.
“If there is nothing sinister, why should elected officers prostrate to an elected officer? This is a democracy and not a kingdom,” he said.
However, the Ogun State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said that Adedayo’s allegation of fund diversion against Abiodun had finally confirmed the party’s claim that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration has been crippling the activities of the local governments.
The chairman of the party in Ogun State, Sikirulai Ogundele, called on the state House of Assembly to investigate the allegation of fund diversion against Governor Abiodun made by Adedayo.