Abiodun’s Aide Says Gov’s Fight With Council Chair Adedayo “Beyond Ordinary”

A close aide to Governor Dapo Abiodun has declared that the face-off with troubled council chairman Wale Adedayo is beyond the ordinary.

“It is beyond the ordinary” Kayode Akinmade, a media consultant to Governor Abiodun declared as a guest on a Radio Programme today, September 27, 2023.

Akinmade spoke on Faaji F.M’s Current Affairs programme hosted by Kayode Adejumo through a phone call.

Today’s edition of the programme was dedicated to the face-off that has landed Adedayo in the clutches of the Ogun State Police CID at Eleweran, Abeokuta since September 25, 2023, based on a petition by the Ogun State Government.

“It is beyond the ordinary. He has access to the Governor and he is one the people that can call the Governor up to four, fives times, he is one of those the Governor loves, that his why is action is mystifying” Akinmade stated in Yoruba language.

Adedayo’s action is the allegation that the Governor gave the 20 local governments in Ogun state zero allocation and diverted their statutorily allocated funds to other things.

The council chairman made the claims in a letter to top-ranking members of the party, All Progressives Congress (APC), and also copied the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Adedayo whose action set in motion a chain of reactions that resulted in his “detention” by the Department of State Service (DSS) and impeachment as Ijebu East Council Chairman is a member of the same party as Governor Abiodun.

“It is a sad development. We need to establish the truth. Mr Adedayo and the Governor are members of the same party. Mr Adedayo wrote to leaders of the party accusing the Governor of diverting over N10 billion. And he is a former journalist. As journalists, we were taught when in doubt, to leave out but he kept going to media houses to repeat the claims. And he lied” Akinmade, a former commissioner for information in the government Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo State) explained.

The media consultant added that as Local Government Chairman Adedayo knows of the existence of the Joint Allocation Committee (JAC) that oversees the funds in question.

According to Akinmade JAC was set up to curb the excesses and aid them to meet their obligations with the fashioning of frontline charges that are taken care of with the funds before any other thing.

The frontline charges include the Salaries of local government and primary health workers and pensions, payment to Primary School teachers, and allowances of the traditional rulers among others.

Insisting that there is no how a diversion of funds could have taken place, Akinmade asserted there are times when the state government adds to the funds for the obligations to be met such as the Covid-19 period.

“He is one of those the Governor loves. He was made a media consultant in the first term and the Governor supported and empowered him to become Local Government chairman, he is one of those who can easily put a call to the Governor. This thing is beyond ordinary. May I not be used to fight my benefactor” Akinmade stated.

Prodded on the way out of the face-off, Akinmade declared that “The way out is that, Mr Adedayo must provide evidence to back up his allegations or he will be punished according to the law”.

Adedayo who was a very passionate campaigner for the Governor is in detention and the host says his side of the happening will be aired some other time.