N2.4B fraud charge: Allow court decide my fate, Ogun Speaker pleads
The embattled Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Olakunle Oluomo has urged blackmailers and traducers to allow the court to decide his fate over the corruption charges brought against him.
Oluomo made the remarks shortly after he resumed office on Friday after spending a few days in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Oluomo who was arraigned on Tuesday before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos was remanded in the custody of the anti-graft agency pending the perfection of his bail conditions.
He was charged with conspiracy and stealing of N2.475bn among others and granted N300m bail with two sureties in like sum.
However, reacting to his predicament shortly after resuming office on Friday, he advised traducers and blackmailers to allow the court to decide his fate over the charges brought against him.
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He described as hyperbolic, the petitions written against him by an aggrieved member of the House, which he noted was also reflected in the charges.
Oluomo stated this in a release he personally signed shortly after resuming at his Oke-Mosan office.
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He said that his initial refusal to honour the initial invitation of EFCC was because the method adopted by the commission was against section 36 of the Constitution as he and two others had already challenged it in court.
According to the Speaker, “by law, I am not the Accounting Officer of the House, for emphasis, the House under my leadership operates only one bank account since 2019, through which running costs and allowances are paid directly into the bank accounts of individual Honourable members and staff of the House including the petitioner.
Also, charges 10 and 11 are for the Eighth legislature before I became the Speaker.
“I also like to say that the refusal to honour the initial invitation of EFCC was because the method adopted by EFCC is against section 36 of the Constitution and we challenged it in court, this is in the public domain as it was widely reported but the EFCC refused to wait for the pronouncement in that case before taking further steps, despite having joined issues with us in court.
“I have always been disciplined and upright in my position, conducts and dealings with people, I shall continue to remain myself with truth and honour as my goal. I thank everyone that showed love and concern in the last few days. Thanks and God bless you all,” he stated.
Source: The Nation
