Ekiti State House of Assembly has summoned the immediate past Governor of the State, Ayodele Fayose, over alleged misappropriation of local government funds while in office.
The House also summoned the former chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Mr Dapo Olagunju, the former Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Mr Kola Kolade and all the former 16 local government chairmen.
The ex-governor and others are expected to appear before the House’s Committee on Public Account.
This followed the adoption of the recommendations of the joint Committee of the House on Public Petition and Local Governments recently directed to look into a petition submitted to the House by the eight suspended council chairmen in the state.
The Assembly had in December 2018 suspended the 16 Council Chairmen while 8 were reinstated in July, 2019.
Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Public Petition Committee, Hon Adegoke Olajide, stated that he remaining eight chairmen on suspension made a plea to the house for review and possible reinstatement.
He said the chairmen confessed to diverting funds of their councils on monthly basis to an account in compliance with the directive of the immediate past governor, and also provided documents to back up their allegations.
The chairmen also claimed that this instruction was often passed to them through the former ALGON Chairman, Mr Dapo Olagunju, and the commissioner for local government, Mr Kola Kolade.
Meanwhile, the Assembly also summoned a former Speaker of the House, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, some suspended members of the Fifth Assembly as well as Fayose over the passage of ten billion naira towards the end of their tenure.
Also summoned was former aide to Fayose on New Media, Mr Lere Olayinka, for alleged non remittance of commercial revenue of above 13 million naira while serving as supervisor at the state owned Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State (BSES).
Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon Ayokunle Yemisi, alleged that Mr Olayinka operated an account with a first generated bank where commercial proceeds belonging to the Television and Radio outfits are diverted to, and the purchase of phones at exhorbitant rates as contained in the White Paper.