• Say Ijebu-East council chairman didn’t commit any offence
• State APC spokesperson exonerates Abiodun from chairman’s ordeal

Former lawmaker for Ogun Central Senatorial District, Femi Okurounmu and President, Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum (YRLF), Akin Malaolu, have described the detention of Ijebu-East Council Chairman, Wale Adedayo, by the Department of State Services (DSS) as unconstitutional and a move by Governor Dapo Abiodun to muzzle the fundamental human rights and freedom of expression of an elected council chairman.

The duo, in separate telephone interviews with The Guardian, yesterday, said Adedayo only made an allegation against the governor of diverting council funds of which he said a petition had been forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).

They said instead of instigating the councillors and the state House of Assembly to get back at Adedayo, the onus is on the governor to defend the allegations and go by constitutional means and due process to handle the issue.

According to Malaolu: “We must confess our sadness over the arrest of a certain local council leader, who saw the growing disenchantment within the local population and called out the government for better governance and allocation of much needed funds into the local council areas.”

Okurounmu, on his part, said it was unconstitutional to detain Adedayo for making an allegation, saying: “Adedayo has not committed any offence, he only alleged.”

HOWEVER, the Spokesman of Ogun State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), Tunde Oladunjoye, said it wasn’t the government that instigated the DSS and the councillors against Adedayo.

Oladunjoye said: “Contrary to the belief that Abiodun is behind Adedayo’s ordeal, when the incident happened, Adedayo started threatening the governor and the councillors. The People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) House of Assembly candidate representing our local council did a voice-note and sent it to the platform of Youth Parliament that all the youths should come out to protest and that the matter must be a fight to finish.

“Some of the councilors, who suspended Adedayo, were also threatened. The various developments must have warranted Adedayo’s invitation by the DSS and not that Governor Abiodun masterminded it as some people are thinking.”