Former LG Chairmen In Ondo Threaten Legal Action Over Allegation Of Impunity By PDP

By Ayodele Oni

The 18 immediate past Executive Chairmen of Local Government Areas of Ondo State have denied receiving salaries after leaving office in August.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the State through its publicity secretary, Kenedy Peretei, had accused the Chairmen of impunity for drawing salaries from Council coffers after expiration of their tenure in August.

They described the statement credited to the State Publicity Secretary of PDP, accusing them of drawing salaries from the State treasury after leaving office as figment of his imagination.

In a statement signed by the former Chairman, Association of Local Government of Nigeria, (ALGON) Augustine Oloruntogbe stated that the author of the  information failed to provide a evidence to support his allegations, as he has no prove of who approved the payment and how much had been collected.

“We wish to inform members of the public to see the report as not only malicious and libelious and parts of futile attempts by the drowning PDP to soil the image of the past local government chairmen and by extension. the present administration in the state.

“As you will all recall, all the former LG Chairmen legitimately handed over the affairs of the 18 local government areas to their various Head of Local Government Administration, who have been holding forth since 30th of August 2023 in accordance with the extant rules.

“And we want to use this opportunity to thank Mr Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN, CON for putting up democratic structure in all the council areas, which allows us to serve our people at grassroot level.”

According to the Chairmen, “we could have ignored his jaundiced report, but we have a duty to lay the facts before the public so that the good people of Ondo state are not misled by a group of unfortunate politicians who are still leaking their political wounds from home and abroad.

“This deliberate falsehood by Peretei and his cohorts can only be described as a Merchant selling the Sun to buy Candles or some set of mischief makers sprigging up mere political gimmicks to seek cheap publicity.

“We therefore want to call on Mr Peretei Ikantu to withdraw the libellous publication with public apology within 24 hours, failure which we will recourse to legal remedy.”