Kogi Deputy Governor Impeachment: Panel Rejects Fresh Documents

* …as Panel begins sitting

The panel inaugurated by the Chief Judge of Kogi State to try
allegations of gross misconduct filed against the state Deputy
Governor Simon Achuba has said that any document that was not
previously filled before the state House of Assembly or the panel
cannot be smuggled in after the panel has commenced full hearing of
the case.

The chairman of the five man panel, John Bayesia, gave the
warning on Monday when one of the counsels to the state government
presented bank receipts as part of the evidence that the Deputy
Governor was actually paid his salaries and entitlements contrary
to his claims.

The panel chairman, while ruling on the issue, said it will be
prejudice to bring the documents to the panel when it was not
originally presented along with other documents, saying it was
capable of wasting the panel’s time, warning counsels to only
restrict themselves to was initially presented before the
panel.

The state House of Assembly had moved foward with an impeachment
notice on the Deputy Governor over ‘gross misconduct’ levelled
against him following a motion passed by the Assembly

Achuba has been in a running battle with state Governor Yahaya
Bello over allegations that the Governor had failed o pay his
salaries and allowances since 2017 amounting up to over N817
million, a development that led the Deputy Governor to threaten to
drag the Governor to court after a seven-day ultimatum.

At the Monday sitting, the Secretary to the State Government
(SSG), Mrs Folashade Ayoade-Arike, was among several witnesses that
testified before the panel.

Others included the Acting Director (Treasury), Office of the
Accountant General, Mr Elijah Ebinemi, who presented before the
panel evidence of alleged salaries/allowances payment, to the
embattled Deputy Governor.

The certified true copies of said payment was said to have
covered between 2016 and 2017.

Also testifying was Saliu Hassan Itopa, Cashier, Office of the
Deputy Governor.

The SSG under cross examination by lead counsel to Achuba,
Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), among others, alleged that the state Deputy
Governor last turned up at the weekly state executive council
meeting in August 2018.

She said she was incompetent to issue query to the Deputy
Governor.

She stated that while it is not under the schedule of the Office
of the SSG to pay the salary of the Deputy Governor, all workers of
the state, including the Deputy Governor and his aides, have been
paid “up-to-date”.

Under cross examination by Mr Anthony Adeniyi, lead counsel to
the state government, Mr Itopa, the cashier in the office of the
Deputy Governor, explained that allowances and other monies,
including impress, are paid directly into the bank accounts of
those concerned.

Subscribe ToNairalaw News!