Judge, assembly disagree over Aregbesola’s probe panel

Olamide Folahanmi, the judge who petitioned the Osun state house of assembly to investigate Rauf Aregbesola over alleged financial recklessness, has threatened not to appear before the probe panel set up by the assembly.

The assembly had inaugurated a seven-man panel to look into the allegations.

But rather than honour the invitation of the fact-finding commission on Tuesday, Folahanmi sent Lanre Ogunlesi, a lawyer, to represent her.

She said she would only honour the invitation if the committee make public, Aregbesola’s response to her petition.

“Fear hearing demands that as a first step to defending the petition, it is necessary for the petitioner to be provided with the governor’s response. Answers to the petition by the governor should be made available,” Ogunlesi said.

“They said the committee was a fact-finding one, but the issue at stake was a serious one and for the sake of posterity and the people yet unborn, they need to forward the answers to her.

“She may even come out and say I am sorry, I withdraw my petition after going through the governor’s reply and may not need to see the committee again.

“She is bold enough to write the petition and she is prepared to defend it if she has the reply.”

Adegboye Akintunde, chairman of the panel, said Aregbesola’s petition cannot be made available.

She accused the judge of breaking three rules of the parliament through wrong filing, signing and appearance in line with order 126(1-6) of the parliament.

Akintunde said in the petition, the judge was categorical on her readiness to appear with evidence to back up her claims.

The chair of the panel said “the committee could not play Father Christmas in giving what was not requested for abinitio”.

Ogunlesi subsequently appealed to the panel to give his client another opportunity for appearing and the committee agreed within the frame of two weeks it was given to submit its findings.