Kunle Adelabu
Principal officers of the Ikorodu West Local Council Development Area (LCDA) have reiterated that they are standing by their decision on the impeachment of the embattled council chairman, Princess Jumoke Ademehin.
The Council Leader, Hon. Agbaje Wasiu Omotayo and the Majority Leader, Hon. Adebowale Kalejaiye, spoke with THE IMPACT on Tuesday night (yesterday) from exile they claimed they have been forced into due to threat to their lives.
They stated that the impeachment of the chairman has been communicated through letters to the Governor of the State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, and the Majority Leader of the Assembly, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade.
Others were the House Committee on Local Government, Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs and the Clerk of the Assembly.
According to the lawmakers, the council chairman has also been duly informed through the Secretary to the Local Government.
We also gathered that the State Party chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Babatunde Balogun, and Ikorodu West LCDA chairman of the party, Elder Olakitan, called the self exiled councillors on Tuesday (yesterday) to return to the council.
The Council leader, who told THE IMPACT that his colleagues have taken refuge in neighbouring countries like Togo, Republic of Benin and Ghana, added that he has not been able to get in touch on phone with other Councilors except his Majority Leader, Hon. Kalejaiye.
“She remains impeached and there is no going back”, Hon. Agbaje stated.
“The party cannot tell us to rescind our decision because it was done in the interest of the party.
“We have no personal grudge against her.We are only doing the wishes of the electorate that elected us into office and that of our party that fielded us as candidates. Our people are complaining that they will not vote for our party again because the council has not done anything since we came into office.
“There is no single project since we assumed office. Residents are not happy with her (Hon. Ademehin) administration, even the party too.
“They sent thugs after us and the thugs are threatening our lives but we are not violent. Our lives are seriously been threatened and we have no other option than to flee”, he alleged.
“They wanted to kill us. If you get to the council now, you see thugs everywhere.
“We are getting feedback from Ikorodu that they have brought thugs and cultists into the council”.
Hon. Agbaje also alleged that the embattled chairman has been signing cheques despite her impeachment and stated that necessary law enforcement agencies would be notified to look into that.
“We have also heard that she is still parading herself around as the chairman and even signing cheques which is illegal because she has been removed from office. We are getting information about everything going on in the council.
“We shall report that to appropriate law enforcement agencies – police and Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to look into that because she cannot act or sign any cheque again”, the Council leader told THE IMPACT.
Hon. Kalejaiye, while also speaking with our reporter, also stated that there is no going back on the impeachment of the chairman.
“She has been impeached and we stand by our resolution”, he said.
He also confirmed that the chairman’s impeachment has been communicated to necessary quarters.
Hon Ademehin’s Impeachment
Hon. Jumoke Ademehin was on Monday, March 9, 2020, impeached for gross misconduct and abuse of office by the five Councilors in the LCDA.
The five councillors that signed the impeachment notice and voted in favour of the Chairman’s removal from office are Hon. Agbaje Wasiu Omotayo (Leader of the Council), Hon. Tejumaiye Adeyanju Julius (Deputy leader), Hon. Kalejaiye Adebowale Aramide (Majority Leader), Hon.Dada Oluwatoyin Moses (Chief Whip) and Hon. Gbadamosi Olaomo Saliu (representing Ward A).
In a release signed by the Council Leader and his colleagues, a copy of which was sent to THE IMPACT, the Councilors alleged that Princess Jumoke Ademehin refused to honour their summon to appear before them to defend herself against allegations of mis-appropriation and stifling development in the council.
“Princess Ademehin was summoned to appear before the Councillors but failed to appear before the Legislative Council to defend herself with appropriate and relevant documents stating the facts and figures against the allegations at the expiration of the 7(seven) working days ultimatum stated in the summons”, the release stated.
“The LCDA Chairman was stifling the development of Ikorodu West LCDA and thereby, compromising the development agenda of T.H.E.M.E.S and consequently compromising the attainment of ‘Greater Lagos’ .
“There is also high level of mal-administration and serious retrogression leading to misappropriation of Public Funds by the Chairman. I want to make it also clear that there are issues the impeached chairman has to explain concerning revenues from the State and Federal Government. She is claiming that she has not been receiving money on Lagos Signage and Advertising Percentage remittance, Lagos land Use charge remittance and Wharf landing remittance which other council have been receiving”.
In a counter release by the chairman, which was signed by Alhaji Kukoyi Jamiu, Chief of Staff to the Chairman, it was stated that Hon (Princess) Olajumoke Jimbo Ademehin is still the executive chairman and directed staff of the council to go about their normal business.
It would be recalled that the embattled chairman was on Monday, January 20,2020, locked out of the Council by the Councilors for lack of performance and failure to pay their entitlements.
The matter was resolved after the party leaders and State Assembly Chairman of the Committee on Local Government and Community Affairs intervened.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach the chairman to hear her own side of the story, especially on allegations levelled against her by the Councilors, proved abortive as she did not pick her calls or respond to the SMS sent to her mobile phone.
When she eventually picked the calls on Wednesday (today) morning, she told our reporter that she was in a meeting and promised to call back but never did till the time of publishing this report.
Also, APC Chairman in Ikorodu West, Alhaji Olakitan, promised to speak with our reporter later when contacted for his reaction regarding the impeachment saga.
