- * Advices Gov Dapo Abiodun To Sue For Libel
By Kemi Adesanya (Ogun State Correspondent, in Abeokuta)
Activist lawyer, Femi Falana, has called on the Ogun State Command of the Department of State Service (DSS) to immediately release Hon. Wale Adedayo, the Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Ogun State, South West, Nigeria, who is being held by the DSS over allegations of fund diversion he made against the state governor, Mr Dapo Abiodun.
Falana, in a public statement on Sunday, September 3, 2023, advised the governor to sue Adedayo for libel if indeed he feels aggrieved or maligned falsely by the Council Chairman.
Falana cautioned governor Abiodun against resorting to self-help or strong arm tactics against Hon. Adebayo, reminding him of the need to take a cue from his predecessors, late Chief Olabisi Onabanjo who was Ogun State Governor between October 1, 1979 and December 31, 1983 and Aremo Olusegun Osoba (Ogun State Governor between 1991/November 1993 and between May 29, 1999 and May 29, 2003) both of who had to sue Concord and Punch Newspapers in 1981 and in 2001 for libel at the Ogun State High Court and won the suits. The Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, has, however, denied the allegations.
Last week, the Chairman of the Ijebu East Local Government, Ogun State, Hon. Wale Adedayo, had accused the Governor, Mr. Dapo Abiodun, of diverting the statutory allocations of the 20 local governments in the State. Shortly thereafter, the Council boss was invited by the Ogun State Command of the State Security Service (SSS) now DSS.
However, when he (Adedayo) turned up for the invitation on Friday, September 1, 2023, he was asked to respond to the petition submitted to the Command by the State Government. In the said petition, it was alleged that Hon. Adedayo had instigated widespread acts of public disturbance and chaos in Ijebu East Local Government.
Even though the embattled Council boss denied the allegation of instigating acts of public disturbance, the Department of State Service (DSS) allegedly decided to detain him due to his refusal to withdraw the allegation levelled against Governor Abiodun.
Falana, in his statement, said: "Having regards to the facts and circumstances of this particular case, I am compelled to request the Ogun State Command of the SSS (now DSS) to release Mr. Adedayo from custody forthwith".
The embattled Council Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Hon. Wale Adebayo, practiced for many years in Lagos as a journalist. In 1998/1999, he was the Group Politics Editor of the Punch Newspapers then located at Onipetesi, Idi-mangoro, Ikeja, Lagos. NNL.
