Some councillors from Ogo-Oluwa Local Government Area of Oyo State have petitioned Governor Seyi Makinde and the Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency (OYACA), over alleged misappropriation of funds and diversion of palliatives by the chairman of the local government area, Mr Seun Ojo.
Ogo-Oluwa Local Government Area is one of the local government areas in the Ogbomoso geo-political zone of the state.
OsunDailyNG reports that the petition, dated January 8, 2024, was also sent to the State House of Assembly, Commissioners for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Agriculture, and the Chief of Staff (COS) to the governor.
The councillors, in the petition titled, “Situation Report on Hon Seun Ojo: Scandalous Behaviour and Activities since the Beginning of this Administration in 2021 till Date in Ogo-Oluwa Local Government,” alleged that the chairman of the local government area has mismanaged the resources of the local government area.
The petition was signed by six legislators, among whom are Honourables Taiwo Samuel Olurinde (Deputy Leader), Adegboyega Julius Ola, Olamilekan Sunday Taiwo, Ayotunde Okunlade, Adekola Abraham, and Oyebamiji Waheed Oyewumi.
The petition was made available to OsunDailyNG on Thursday in Ibadan, the state capital.
The petitioners alleged that the chairman allegedly sold palliatives from the state government.
They also alleged that the chairman diverted relief materials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
They also accused the chairman of forcefully deducting ten percent from the monthly wages of the councillors.
The councillors in the petition urged the governor and the concerned authorities to rise up and intervene in the matter.
“We are not allowed to sit, but the chairman pocketed our sitting allowance. We appeal to all the aforementioned agencies and authorities to embrace justice on the matter to avert a government of impunity in Ogo-Oluwa, as this is the yearning of the whole council citizens.”
But the chairman, in his reaction, described the allegations as baseless.
Ojo, in a statement made available to OsunDailyNG on Friday, noted that he did not divert relief materials meant for the local government as alleged in the petition.
“Let us make NEMA empowerment our first point of call; this is a federal government programme. To make it clearer, capturing and verification were done at the local government secretariat,nand everyone who passed through these processes received their relief materials. It is absurd to conceive in anyone’s deluded mind that the chairman is capable of diverting federal government material, considering the fact that we are not of the same political party. It is a lightweight lie and should be ignored.
“It is not only laughable, but despicable for a serving representative to claim they are unable to sit because the Mace is nowhere to be found. Such a councilor ought to be recalled, flogged, and stripped of all entitlements for getting paid while he sleeps.
“The Mace has been in the possession of the leader of the house, as he has said on many occasions and will continue to be till the end of their tenure; any interested member of the public can approach the leader for the Mace and the local government for their sitting records.”
