‘Don’t impeach Aregbesola’

A group, Asiwaju Grassroots Foundation, has asked the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salaam, to shun a petition seeking the impeachment of Governor Rauf Aregbesola over the inability of the state to pay its workers’ salaries.

Salaam, on Wednesday, said that the Assembly had received a petition from Justice Folahanmi Oloyede, calling for the impeachment of Aregbesola on the grounds of alleged financial recklessness.

In a letter dated June 24, 2015 and signed by the AGF coordinator in Osun State, Adeboye Adebayo, the group, which acknowledged that Oloyede’s views should be respected, however, urged the Assembly to disregard the petition because “Aregbesola has made meaningful achievements.”

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The letter read in part, “Mr. Speaker, you know that before now, workers’ salaries, pensions and other emoluments were being paid as and when due, including car loans and 13th month salaries.

“Things began to go the other way when financial meltdown hit the country through the mismanagement of the national economy by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led government and it is worthy of note that it was Aregbesola that first raised the alarm about the impending financial crisis.

“Benue, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Delta states also owe workers. So, it is not Osun State that is battling with this alone. It is due to financial recklessness and mismanagement by the Jonathan government. Inasmuch as we are not trying to interfere in the constitutional duties of the House of Assembly, we are just using this medium, like others, to restate our firm commitment and belief in the leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as the governor for the next four years.”

Reference: PUNCH