Oyo Assembly removes Irepo LG chairman, orders him to return N4.6m

The Oyo State House of Assembly has announced the removal from office of the Executive Chairman, Irepo Local Government Area, Mr Lateef Sulaiman Adediran.

The Assembly made the announcement on Thursday following the presentation of the report of the Joint Committee on Local Government, Chieftancy Matters and State Honors and Public Accounts, Finance and Appropriation that investigated allegation of “Running of Local Government with impunity,” levelled against the Chairman.

The Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin led Assembly said the accused Chairman was removed from office in line with Section 21 of the Local Government Law, 2001 as ammended.

It consequently directed the council’s Vice Chairman, Mr Oyetunji Joel to immediately assume the position as acting Chairman.

The House committee report presented at plenary held that Adediran was found culpable on allegation of diverting public funds meant for the purchase of Toyota Camry 2016 model to purchase Lexus for his office without approval and purchasing substandard Toyota corolla for the Office of the Head of Local Government Administration (HLGA), an action it said betrayed public trust.

The Assembly also directed Adediran to refund a sum of N 4,616,800.00 to the coffers of Irepo Local Government being the difference between “unreasonable” N5.8 million spent on replacement of covers of exercise books and the fair value of the cover replacement i.e N5,800,000.00 minus N 1,183, 200 according to the Auditor-General for Local Government report.

Furthermore, the Assembly directed leader of Irepo Local Government Legislative Council, Mr Mutalubi Adigun Salami whose account has been credited with the sum of 2,676,00.00 as deduction of party dues from salaries of political office holders from February 2022 to March, 2023 should immediately refund the sum of N2,676,000.00 to the coffers of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Irepo Local Government and the evidence of payment be summitted to the House within one week.

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