The impeachment was initiated after a motion was supported by five councillors
The chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area in Ogun State, Wale Adedayo, who was suspended, has been impeached.
Five out of the 11 councilors of the council supported the motion to impeach Adedayo.
The announcement was made on Thursday, just after Adedayo appeared before them at the LG secretariat in Ogbere.
Recall that Adedayo had accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of diverting statutory federal allocations of the 20 LGs in the state.
He made these allegations in a letter he wrote last month to a former governor of the state and a leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Olusegun Osoba.
He subsequently repeated the allegation in a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Shortly after the allegation was made, Adedayo was suspended by his councillors for alleged financial misconduct. He was also detained by the State Security Services (SSS) in Abeokuta, the state capital, for three days.
On Thursday, during the impeachment proceedings, the journalist turned politician appeared before the councillors who were investigating the claims of mismanagement against him.
He left after two hours with the councillors.
A statement signed by Fasheyi Akindele, who is the leader of the legislative council, stated that Adedayo was impeached.
The impeachment was initiated after a motion was supported by five councillors.
The statement also revealed that Adedayo admitted to the allegations against him before the legislative council.
During the voting process, four councillors voted in favor of the motion, one abstained, while one did not attend the session.
“The councillors of ijebu East Local Government of Ogun State, earlier today, impeached the suspended Chairman of the local government, Hon. Wale Adedayo, over allegations of financial misappropriation and diversion of council funds, among other allegations made against him.
“After series of invitations by the House, which were ignored in the past, Adedayo eventually appeared before the legislative council today as the councillors continued their probe of the chairman.
“The suspended Chairman owned up before the full house of 11 councilors that he diverted federal allocations sent to the council by the State Government and used them for purposes other than what the state government approved.
“Adedayo also agreed that he spent the council funds till August 2023, even when the budget was yet to be approved, whereas the laws only allows him to spend till March 2023.
“Adedayo also opened up that he used N5.2 million to produce 20 pieces of chairs and tables instead of the 290 chairs that the money was meant for as approved by the state government.
“On the issue of illegal levies and strikers to commercial transport operators in the Local government, Adedayo said he thought the House had passed the Bill to that effect, but the Leader of House reminded him that a bill, if passed by the the House, would have been jointly signed by the Leader of the House and the Council Chairman.
“That the chairman has run foul of the laws of the land, specifically the Ogun State Local Government Laws 2006 and committed serious impeachable offences was therefore established.
“After about three hours deliberation, the impeachment of the chairman was put to votes. Five councilors voted for his impeachment, four voted against, with one abstention.
“Therefore, the Leader of the House pronounced Mr. Wale Adedayo impeached as the Chairman of Ijebu East LG.”
