Libel: We’re ready for court, Oyo group tells Ajimobi

The Oyo Anti-Corruption Group (OACG) yesterday dared the Oyo State
Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi over the N1 billion libel suit
slammed against it by the governor.
The governor had in a statement by his spokesman, Festus Adedayo,
announced the institution of the litigation over an alleged defamation
by the group in a newspaper publication on Wednesday.
The publication detailed a petition filed with the two anti-graft
agencies- the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and
Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission
(ICPC) in which the group, led by Lanre Ogundipe, an aide to former
governor of the state and Accord Party (AP) leader, Senator Rashidi
Ladoja, called for a probe of the contract awards involving the
recently inaugurated N3 billion Mokola flyover and the almost half a
billion naira "Restoration bridge" both in Ibadan, the state capital.
The group had accused the regime of inflating the contracts.
A defiant Ogundipe, in a statement released in Ibadan yesterday said
the group stood by its observations and was prepared to meet the
governor in court in its campaign for probity and transparency in
governance.
"No one should be under any illusion that the said publication was a
ruse. The group is committed to exposing the dirty deals of an
insincere governmentthat lacks probity and accountability in
administering the resources of the state prudently," he said, adding
that it would not be browbeaten or bullied into submitting the
interest of the people.
The OACG boss explained that the petition filed with EFCC and ICPC was
merely to ask the anti-corruption agencies to scrutinize the financial
transactions on the two projects and other contractsawarded by the
Ajimobi led –government, adding: "We are not only ready for the high
court, he (governor) should proceed to the Supreme Court to contest
the veracity of our contention. We are ready for any form of
litigation on the issue.
"We cannot be intimidated by such an empty threatfrom a legal
illiterate, who feels bullying people would deter them from pursuing a
just cause. And of course for lawyers, who will want to swindle him
and the government would jump at the offer to defend such awards of
scandalous contracts."
Ogundipe stressed that the new twist of legal action would mark the
beginning of the end of Ajimobi's administration in Oyo State, while
calling on the EFCC and ICPC to act promptly on the group petition.