The sacked caretaker chairman of Ona-Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mr Nurudeen Akanni has claimed that his sacking was at the command of the wife of the state governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, because he refused to yield to her alleged intimidation and penchant for mediocrity in discharge of public duties.
The ex-chairman, who lost his job last Tuesday for “anti-government activities” said he had been summoned to the Government House no less than three times by the governor’s wife where she “sternly bullied and threatened” him and also concluded he could not work with her husband, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, based on reports reaching her from the council.
However, Mrs Ajimobi has reacted by saying that Akanni should face his troubles squarely and not drag her into this matter as she does not interfere in issues concerning the state and councils.
Speaking through her special assistant (media), Mrs Olajumoke Solaja, she said, “We advise him to face his travails squarely, respond to allegations of extreme indiscretion, anti-government acts levelled against him and stop searching in none existing places for his woes. The First Lady does not get involved in the running of the state.”
Akanni, an Accord Party member, was appointed on August 23, 2012 in partial fulfilment of the political pact between Governor Ajimobi and a former governor of the state and Accord Party’s National Leader, Senator Rashidi Ladoja.
He said that contrary to the official explanation on his sack letter dated February 5, from the office of the Commissioner, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters and signed by one M. O. Akano, the real reason was his refusal to bend to the will of Mrs Ajimobi in the way he ran the council.
“Mrs Ajimobi ordered that I should be taking care of her own people in the council, especially the women leader. I complied by giving the women leader N20, 000 every month. She said this was not good money and told me I was stubborn.
“She alleged that some reports and petitions reaching her suggested that I only spent funds that accrued to the local government on developmental projects in the local government, while neglecting the leadership of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ona-Ara,” he said.
In a press conference he addressed this weekend at the Accord Party state secretariat , he alleged that his other “offences” were his belief in service delivery to the people at the grass roots, which he said had endeared him to the people of the council, as against looting of the council funds, as well as his refusal to defect to the ruling ACN from Accord Party, which he was accused of promoting at the expense of the ruling party.
He said he had no regret over his sack as he was not accused of embezzlement of council funds or incompetence as chairman, stressing that his removal was politically motivated by Mrs Ajimobi.