—- 17 out of 24 Exco Members Signed the Petition
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Etsako Central Local Government Area, Mr. John Saliu, has been suspended from the Executive Committee indefinitely.
The suspension letter dated 2nd March, 2024, is signed by seventeen out of the twenty four Executive Committee members of the Local Government..
According to the petition, the Chairman is being accused of indulging in divisive and outrageous financial misappropriation in an industrial scale, an act capable of ridiculing and tearing the party apart in the local government especially as the governorship electioneering campaigns draw closer.
They also asserted that due to the inconsistent attributes of the Party Chairman, the APC had already lost three principal officers of the LGA to the ruling party namely the LGA Youth Leader, the LGA Women Leader and the LGA Treasurer
Other weighty allegations levelled against the party Chairman are embezzlement of party funds and deliberate refusal to give account of the monies realized during the Presidential/National Assembly election launching held at the party Secretariat Fugar, last year.
According to the Petitioners, the sum of three hundred thousand naira only (#300,000) was realized at the spot and with many other pledges . The LGA Chairman kept monies in his private account and till date, no account had been given to the Exco.
The Chairman is also accused of embezzlement of One Hundred Thousand Naira Only out of the Christmas gift of the Three Hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira Only (# 320,000) Naira from Engr. Abubakar Momoh, Minister of Niger Delta Development to the LGA Exco during the Stakeholders meeting in December 2023 ,held at Senator Adams Oshiomhole’s house at Iyamho.
The Exco members also accused the Chairman of embezzling the local government share of the sum of three hundred thousand naira (# 300,000) only as Christmas gift of ( # 2,000,000) Two Million Naira Only donated by a governorship Aspirant, Dr. Barr. Blessing Agbomhere to the Edo North LGA Exco/Leaders at a stakeholders meeting held at Senator Oshiomhole’s house at Iyamho last December, 2023.
Others are embezzlement of the sun of Two Hundred Thousand Naira (# 200,000) Thousand Naira only donated as Christmas gift to the LGA Exco members by the APC governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo. and till date, no account of the money has been given by the embattled party Chairman.
Other infractions are unilateral deduction of Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira only (#450,000,000) only from the One Million Naira only realized from the visit of General Charles Ariavbere (Rtd), a governorship Aspirant purportedly used to service a delegation of party officials from Abuja which has been found to be fallaciously untrue,
Unilateral deduction of Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (# 850,000) Naira out of the Three Million Naira Only (# 3,000,000) realized from the visits of two Guber Aspirants, Pastor Osage Ize Iyamu and Engr. Gideon Ikhine.
It was later discovered by the Exco members that he sent Four Hundred Thousand Naira only (# 400,000) to the Leaders and pocketed the sum of (# 450,000). An attitude according to the Petitioners has caused so much scandal in the local government.
Other allegations against the party Chairman is embezzlement of the sum of Four hundred thousand naira only out of the donation of (# 1,000,000) payment of rent for five years donated by a governorship Aspirant, Dr. Earnest Afolabi.
High-handedness and other forms of misconducts are also levelled against the Chairman. There are other cases of forgery the LGA Secretary’s signature by the Chairman in flagrant violation of the party constitution.
In view of the above and other breaches of the APC by the Chairman and to save the party from further embarrassment, the Exco members passed a vote of no confidence on the Chairman, Mr. John Saliu and suspended him indefinitely.
The Exco directed Capt. Philip Itsede Rtd, the LGA Vice Chairman to act as the Acting LGA Chairman.
PRIME NEWS MEDIA