THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, arraigned the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Mr. Bamidele Oleyelogun, in court over alleged financial impropriety.
Oleyelogun is being arraigned alongside the Clerk of the house, Bode Adeyelu; the lawmaker representing Akoko South West I in the House, Felemu Bankole and two other staff.
Their trial was however stalled following the absence of the lawyer to the EFCC, Didanj Fredrick
Frederick, however, said the anti-graft commission did not get the hearing notice until late in the evening of Monday.
The sacked Deputy Speaker, Mr. Iroju Ogundeji had accused the speaker and other principal officers of collecting and sharing N2.4 million meant for a seminar in Lagos which they never attended in 2019.
Ogundeji had petitioned the EFCC asking the agency to investigate the fund allegedly collected and shared by the speaker and others for a phoney seminar in Lagos.
The EFCC invited the Speaker for questioning over the allegation.
However, the absence of the counsels to the anti-graft agency stalled the trial scheduled to hold at the State High court sitting at the Olokuta Correctional centre, Akure, the state capital.
The Speaker arrived at the court at about 8:30 am in a tinted Black Prado SUV with a pilot vehicle and another Gold Kia SUV with number plate 95 ODHA.
Meanwhile, journalists were not allowed to cover the court proceedings because the court is located inside the Correctional centre.
The prison officials led by the Squadron Commander, Mr Ibrahim Ogunja, who turned journalists back, said he was acting on an order from Abuja which placed all correctional centres on red alert to forestall jailbreak.
The Public Relations Officer of the correctional centre, Mr. Ogundare Babatunde also insisted that journalists would be not be allowed into the correctional centre which houses the court.
Arraignment stalls screening of commissioner-nominees
Meanwhile, the arraignment of the Speaker and others, yesterday, stalled the ongoing screening of the States commissioner-nominees.
The Chairman House Committee on Information, Youth and Sports Development, Gbenga Omole said: “The screening of Commissioner-nominees by the Ondo State House of Assembly billed to continue today (yesterday) has been rescheduled.
“The exercise which started Monday was suspended because the Chairman House Committee on Selection and the Speaker of the House, Mr. Oleyelogun David is indisposed.” Omole said the exercise will continue today.
