Alleged N500m loot: You are a serial liar, Ajimobi tells Ladoja

Alleged N500m loot: You are a serial liar, Ajimobi tells Ladoja

Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has described the denial by Senator Rashidi Ladoja, a former governor, to refund N500million to the state as panicky and lamentable.

According to a press re­lease signed by Dr. Festus Adedayo, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, with reference to a state­ment by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Olalekan Alli, the gover­nor insisted that Ladoja, indeed, refunded the said amount, as well as vehicles he procured from the sleaze, through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commis­sion (EFCC).

Ladoja, who is the gov­ernorship candidate of Accord Party in Oyo State, for the February 28, 2015 election, had, through an advertorial in a national newspaper on Tuesday, de­nied allegations that he re­funded N500million, alleg­edly stolen from the state’s treasury.

Ajimobi had, in an ear­lier interview published in a national newspaper, accused Ladoja and some of his former aides and close relatives of fleecing the state during his ten­ure as governor, following which the EFCC reportedly quizzed him.

To wriggle out of the mess, the former governor was alleged to have entered into a plea bargaining with the EFCC, which informed the refund of N500million and some exotic vehicles.

According to Adedayo, “Ladoja’s shameless denial of his refund of Oyo State’s stolen loot is not only re­grettable, but lamentable. His brazen denial in the face of overwhelming evi­dence reflects what led to the lack of trust from the led to the leadership of this country.

“The general public will recall that in 2008, Ladoja was embroiled in an alle­gation of theft of proceeds from shares belonging to the state government, which he converted to per­sonal use. He was, subse­quently, arrested and de­tained by the EFCC”, the release added.

``Governor Abiola Aji­mobi revealed that, indeed, Senator Ladoja returned N500 million to the EFCC which, thereafter, drew a cheque later collected by the state government.

Source: Daily Times