By OLA MODUPE, Lagos –
Oyo Democratic Alliance (OYDA), has advised Governor Seyi Makinde to investigate and audit the financial transactions of the 68 local government areas and the LCDAs of the state from their first day of resumption in office before probing the government of the immediate past governor of the State, Senator Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi.
OYDA gave the advice in a statement issued in Ibadan and made available to NATIONAL ACCORD on Tuesday.
In the statement signed signed by its Coordinator, Wole Adedoyin, OYDA stressed that this move should not aim at removing any council chairman or official, but targeted at improving probity and accountability in the 68 local government councils and the LCDAs of the state.
According to OYDA “Makinde’s government is empowered to use the provisions of the constitution and the anti-corruption legislation to check cases of corruption and abuse of power across the local government areas and LCDAs of the state. The proposed investigations and prosecution do not offend the constitutional ethics of the state in any way.”
It therefore believed that anyone involved in alleged corrupt practices and abuse of power in any affected local government or LCDA area should be promptly, thoroughly and effectively investigated and prosecuted if there is relevant and admissible evidence of corruption, and stolen public funds recovered both to provide public goods and services to ordinary citizens and to serve as deterrent measure to others.
By going after only Ajimobi’s government it means Gov. Seyi Makinde is only on a venture to witch-hunt the political administration of his predecessor. The rate at which some Council Chairmen under Gov. Seyi Makinde are stealing public funds is beyond exaggeration, OYDA said.
It expressed the hope that Governor Seyi Makinde would exercise his constitutional powers to promote transparency and accountability and stop corruption in the use of federal allocations by the council chairmen for their personal and selfish usages.
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