Adeleke urges political leaders to uphold rule of law
Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the alleged attempt by the court-sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen in the state to illegally pay almost N13 billion of the local council funds as legal fees.
Relatedly, Governor Ademola Adeleke urged President Bola Tinubu and other political leaders to respect the rule of law and uphold judicial processes as Nigeria marks its 65th Independence anniversary.
In a leaked letter trending online, one of the sacked chairmen instructed UBA to pay a law firm (name withheld) 15 per cent of the allocation paid into the council’s account last week as legal fees.
PDP, in a statement issued in Osogbo yesterday and signed by the state chairman, Sunday Bisi, lamented the illegal directive. It claimed to have gathered authoritatively that the sacked chairmen in the 30 local councils gave the same instruction to the bank.
“The total balance in all the 30 local councils’ accounts is about N85 billion. Fifteen per cent of that amount translates to N12.75 billion, which these court-sacked APC chairmen have instructed UBA to pay out as legal fees. Fortunately, the Oyo State High Court order of last Friday stopped them and their scheme,” he disclosed.
He added that the sacked chairmen used non-council staff members as treasurers and co-signatories of the letters.
“There is no officer designated as treasurer in the local government scheme of service across the country. Yet these people used individuals who are not local government staff to fill the nonexistent position of treasurer. One of those who signed the letter is a non-teaching staff member of a private polytechnic in the Boluwaduro Local Council of Osun. It is shocking,” the PDP chairman said.
In his Independence Day message, conveyed through his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor congratulated Nigerians and stressed the need for genuine national reforms that would entrench true federalism.
He described the occasion as a crucial moment to evaluate the health of the nation’s constitutional democracy, the rule of law and the delivery of good governance.
Adeleke further urged leaders to safeguard the foundation of national governance by ensuring strict compliance with the Constitution and unwavering respect for the rule of law.
He said, “We have made progress, but we can move faster and better. We have recorded a lot of progress, but we should continue to protect the foundation of our national existence, the Constitution and its interpretation by a truly independent judiciary.
“We must, in totality, ensure compliance. Judicial process must be respected as it is the only legitimate vehicle to regulate relationships among players in the democratic space and among Nigerians at large.”
