The Chairman of Ibaji Local Government Area, William Iko-Ojo, has been suspended by the Kogi State House of Assembly due to allegations of misappropriation of public funds, security threats, gross misconduct, and abuse of office.
The suspension followed a petition submitted to the Assembly by Jibril Ojochenemi and was read by the House Majority Leader, Suleiman Abdulrazaq, who represents Okene Town.
The petition claimed that the Chairman spent a sum of N536,137,064.9k without proper budget provision, as reported in the audited financial statement of the 21 Local Government Areas of Kogi State for the period from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021.
The Majority Leader raised concerns about security breaches and disrespect for the rule of law, asserting that such behavior exhibited a disregard for the law.
Upon presenting the petition, the Majority Leader called for the suspension of the embattled Council Chairman, a motion that was seconded by Deputy Speaker Enema Paul, representing Dekina Okura State constituency.
The Deputy Speaker emphasized the seriousness of the allegations and suggested that the Chairman should step aside during the investigation by the House.
Other members of the Assembly, including Bode Ogunmola, Ochidi Usman Shehu, Aliyu Maikudi, and Yusuf Zakari Eneve, voiced their support for the removal of the Ibaji Council Chairman. They cited the outbreak of a crisis in Ibaji that resulted in the death of a woman under the Chairman’s watch as a reason for the suspension.
In response, the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Aliyu Umar Yusuf, directed the Vice Chairman to assume the role of the Local Government in an Acting capacity.
Furthermore, the House established a seven-member committee, chaired by Deputy Speaker Enema Paul, to investigate the allegations against the suspended Chairman.
The Speaker emphasized that the Chairman’s conduct posed a security threat to the region he was supposed to safeguard and called on the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to monitor the suspended Chairman’s activities closely to prevent any law and order breakdown.
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