Alleged Fraud: Oyo Assembly Queries EFCC’s Power to Probe Its Key Members, Sends Strong Warning
- The Oyo state house of Assembly is not happy with the latest move by the EFCC relating to its members
- The parliamentary house, in a letter, faulted the anti-graft agency's move while urging the EFCC to respect the court order
- Meanwhile, in an earlier move, the Assembly maintained that the EFCC has no powers to query its finances, rather the Auditor General of Oyo state is vested with such power
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The Oyo House of Assembly has faulted the invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to its members in relation to a purported ongoing investigation, The Nation reported.
Reacting, the Clerk of Oyo Assembly, Yetunde Oludara Awe, in a letter, queried the propriety of the EFCC’s invitation to the Assembly members in the face of a pending suit challenging its (EFCC’s) power to probe state Legislature’s finances.
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The Assembly sends a warning to EFCC
In the letter to the EFCC, dated October 11, 2022, a copy of which the newspaper sighted in Abuja, Awe warned the commission against disrespecting the court and taking the law into its hands.
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She said no member of the State Assembly would honour any invitation from the anti-graft agency until the pending case is determined.
Earlier probe
The Oyo Assembly sued the EFCC earlier this year over its (EFCC’s) planned probe of the Assembly’s finances.
In the suit marked: FHC/IB/CS/71/2022 filed through its lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), the Oyo Assembly is contending among others that by the provision of Section 125 of the Constitution, the EFCC is forbidden from looking into the financial books of the state Assembly.
They argued that such power only resides with the Auditor General of Oyo State by virtue of Section 125 of the Constitution.
Oyo parliament approves new deputy for governor Makinde
In another report, less than six hours after the removal of the Oyo state deputy governor, Mr Rauf Olaniyan, by the state parliament, a replacement has been approved by the parliamentary house.
The approval came after Speaker of the Assembly, Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin, read a letter from Governor Seyi Makinde seeking the Assembly’s approval of his nomination of Bayo Lawal as the deputy governor.
Until his approval as deputy governor, Lawal was Chairman of Oyo State Water Corporation and nominated as Makinde’s running mate for the 2023 governorship election.
Impeachment: Oyo APC gov candidate says Olaniyan’s removal Illegal
Meanwhile, the 2023 governorship candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state, Senator Teslim Folarin, has described the impeachment of Deputy Governor Rauf Olaniyan by the House of Assembly as unlawful.
According to the politician, the move contradicted respect for rule of law.
Folarin asked the National Judicial Council (NJC) to sanction the Chief Judge, Justice Munta Abimbola, for breaching the oath of his office.
Source: Legit.ng
