WHITE PAPER ON CAPITAL PROJECTS & CONTRACTS AWARDED IN ONDO STATE BETWEEN 1995 AND MAY 28, 2000 WHICH INDICTED AKEREDOLU OF FINANCIAL PROCLIVITY AND BAN FROM HOLDING PUBLIC OFFICE FOR 25 YEARS AS PRESENTED BY BARRISTER OLU AKINOLA

The late former Ondo State Governor, Chief Ade Adefarati set up Justice R.O Fawehinmi Judicial Commission of Enquiry on Capital Projects and Contracts awarded in Ondo State between January and May 28, 2000 which covers period the current Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu was Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice in Ondo State under the former Military Administrator, Navy Captain Ibe Onyearugbulem.

The reports/White Paper subsequently found Akeredolu guilty of financial impropriety in the following areas:

a. That he singlehandedly disbursed allocations from Ecological and Intervention Funds made available to Justice Ministry and Ondo State Judiciary which is against the rule of service;

b. That he awarded contract for the building of Owo High Court without recourse to due process;

c. That he awarded the above job to a phony company- SES- ribigbe Nigeria Limited and money spent money without proper contract and contract value; and was commissioned without being completed;

d. That he missapropriated #5million earmarked for renovations and fencing of Judges Quarters 5,6,42 and 49 at Alagbaka without evidence of work done;

e. That he inflated contracts for procurements of Satellite dishes by #780,000;

Consequently, the Government White Paper directed as follows:

a. That Akeredolu should refund various amounts he misappropriated or stolen;

b. That he should be banned from holding public office for Twenty Five Years from July 2000 to June 2025.

The question is, why is Akeredolu still in office since 2017 till date despite his indictments and ban from holding public office for 25 years?.

In order to clear his name, Akeredolu approached the High Court of Ondo State where he applied for a leave of court for a judicial review of the Fawehinmi’s Panel report. On November 15, 1999, even before the White Paper was released, the High Court refused his application for leave to appeal.

Akeredolu swifly proceeded to Appeal Court in Akure and in the Appeal No CA/B/32/2000, the court set aside the order of the High Court of Ondo State refusing leave for judicial review and awarded a cost of #3,000 in favour of Akeredolu.

By implication, from June 10, 2002, he had the leave of the Appeal Court to challenge the Panel’s report by way of judicial review. Ondo State government also has the right of appeal to the Supreme Court for the review of this decision while it could also petition the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for his unethical and unprofessional conducts by removing him as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and equally remove his name from the roll of the Supreme Court as a legal practitioner.

It should be noted that the Court of Appeal’s decision had not in any way exonerated Akeredolu from his various indictments and ban from holding public office for a period of 25 years.

Unfortunately, there is no evidence at the High Court of Ondo State sitting in Akure that Akeredolu apply and secure a judicial review of the Fawehinmi’s Panel report.

Since his indictments and ban from holding public office for 25 years are yet to be quashed by any court of competent jurisdictions, Akeredolu ought not to have lied on oath in filling INEC Form CF 001 in 2012 and 2016. In essence, he lied for not being involved in any offence involving dishonesty or fraud or any offence imposed by a court or Tribunal!.

The implication of lying on oath is that he has committed an offence of perjury which by virtue of Sections 177 and 118 is a criminal offence punishable with seven or fourteen years imprisonment by law.

As it is now, Akeredolu is protected by Section 308 of the constitution which grants him immunity from criminal prosecutions being a sitting Governor.

In view of his indictments, Governor Akeredolu stands disqualified from contesting as Governor of Ondo State.

The struggle continues!.