Dele Olaosebikan
SPEAKER of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Bamidele Oloyeloogun, who is standing trial over alleged N2.4m fraud, has resigned from his position.
This development came a few days to the expiration of the ninth Assembly. The Speaker’s resignation was contained in a letterhead of the House, signed and addressed to the Clerk of the House, dated 1st June 2023.
The letter was made available on Friday, 2nd May 2023, and was titled, ‘Resignation As Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly.’.The letter read,” “Please, permit me to inform you that I, Rt. Hon. Oleyelogun, Bamidele David, ceases to function as Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly. This follows my decision to resign from the position with effect from today (Thursday)”.
Eighteen-Eleven Media recalls that on 18th May 2023, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) presented its first witness in the ongoing trial of the former Speaker and two others before Justice Adegboyega Adebusoye of an Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure.
The two others are Hon. Felemu Gudubamikole, Chairman, House Committee on Tertiary Institutions and Oyadeji Oludeji, Secretary to the House Committee on Tertiary Institutions.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Ibrahim Audu, the first prosecution witness, Hon. Iroju Ogundeji, a former Deputy Speaker of the Assembly whose removal is still a subject of litigation at the Ondo State High Court, told the court how he discovered that the sum of N2.4 million was collected on his behalf and members of the House Committee on Tertiary Institution to attend a workshop in Lagos which he was not aware of. He told the court that when he discovered it, he met with the Speaker and asked him to refund the money to the government.
The House of Assembly member representing Odigbo I State Constituency told the court that: “I asked him to go and refund the money back to the government treasury as I would not want my office name to be used to defraud the government. After several months, I did not see any evidence of the money being paid back. I wrote personally to him telling him to pay back the money to the government,” he told the court.
The PW1 tendered documents for the release of the fund which were admitted as exhibits
The defence counsel, Femi Emmanuel Emodamori, also crossed-examined PW1.
Justice Adebusoye adjourned the case till 25 and 26 July 2023 for continuation of trial.
The trio were arraigned by the Benin Zonal Command of the EFCC on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and using their office to confer a corrupt or unfair advantage upon themselves.
Oleyelogun, Gudubankole and Kayode are alleged to have conspired amongst themselves to engage in corrupt practices by receiving and retaining the sum of N2,440,000.00 which was meant to be used to attend a seminar which they never attended.
One of the counts read: “that you Hon. Felemu Gudubankole whilst being the Chairman, House Committee on Tertiary Institution, Ondo State House of Assembly, Hon.Oleyelogun David Bamidele, whilst being a member of Ondo State House of Assembly and Oyadeji Oludeji being the Secretary to the House Committee on Tertiary Institutions, Ondo State House of Assembly on or about the 18th June 2020 in Akure, Ondo State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did use your office to confer a corrupt or unfair advantage to yourselves to wit: by receiving and retaining the sum of Two Million, Four Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira (N2,440,000.00) only from the Ondo State Government meant to be used to attend a two-day seminar organised by National Productivity Centre on Improving Productivity in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria which you did not attend”.
Eighteen-Eleven Media