ALMOST a week after Osun State House of Assembly committee commenced probe into a petition by a serving judge in the state, Justice Folahanmi Oloyede, against Governor Rauf Aregbesola, strong indication emerged at the weekend that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have invited her over the claims in the petition.
Justice Oloyede had, in a 39-page petition, copies of which were sent to both EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), alleged that Aregbesola
and his deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, had mismanaged the financial resources of the state, culminating in the failure to pay salaries of civil servants.
The judge also copied the state legislature and sought for Aregbesola’s impeachment for allegedly committing many constitutional breaches.
However, credible sources close to Justice Oloyede disclosed that she was invited to Abuja office of the EFCC to provide more information on some of her claims in the petition.
She was, however, said to have declined the invitation, saying that the anti graft agency should rather come to Osun and look through the government’s financial records, with a view to authenticate her claims in the petition.
According to one of the sources, “she was invited to Abuja office of the EFCC, but Oloyede told the officer that spoke to her on the phone that the commission can send its officers down to Osun, having been given enough information in the petition sent to it.”
It will be recalled that the judge had, last week Tuesday, failed to appear before a seven-man panel constituted by the state House of Assembly to investigate her petition against the governor.
Oloyede, who sent her lawyers, insisted that until the panel provided her with Aregbesola’s response to her petition, she would not appear in person before the panel.