The Chairman of Ibadan North-East Local Government, Hon. Ibrahim Akintayo, has rejected allegations of gross misconduct against his administration, describing them as unfounded and largely driven by political disagreements.
Akintayo, while responding to the allegations, said the disagreement with some members of the legislative arm stemmed from expectations surrounding the forthcoming local government elections.
According to the chairman, some councillors were reportedly dissatisfied with him over what they perceived as his failure to support their efforts to secure return tickets to contest under the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
He, however, explained that the issue of party tickets was beyond his personal authority, stressing that he could not single-handedly determine which aspirants would emerge as candidates of the party.
Akintayo maintained that the selection of candidates remains a matter for the appropriate party structures and relevant stakeholders, and should not be attributed solely to the office of the council chairman.
The chairman also alleged that some of the councillors had made demands which, in his view, went beyond the reasonable responsibilities and capacity of his office. He cited requests allegedly involving three lock-up shops, after allocation of one to each of the councillors; travel arrangements and a โฆ500,000 allowance.
Describing such demands as excessive, Akintayo insisted that the responsibilities of an elected local government chairman do not extend to providing personal benefits or political privileges to individual councillors.
He argued that disagreements arising from such expectations should not be presented as evidence of gross misconduct, adding that the allegations against his administration were, in his assessment, connected largely to personal grievances and political differences.
The chairman further appealed to the councillors to exercise restraint and redirect their attention towards issues that would promote good governance and development in Ibadan North-East Local Government.
He reiterated that no individual, including the council chairman, has the sole authority to determine who receives the partyโs ticket for the forthcoming local government elections.
Akintayo therefore urged residents and members of the public to treat the allegations with caution, insisting that they should not be allowed to distract the administration from its responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to the development of Ibadan North-East Local Government and called on all stakeholders to prioritise peace, unity and the overall interests of the people.
