The Police in Ekiti State have quizzed the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Chief Idowu Faleye, in connection with the dud cheque issued to pay for the rent of the state secretariat in Ado Ekiti.
He was interrogated by the police from the Special Fraud Unit, Force Headquarters, Abuja, following a petition by the landlord, Chief Ropo Adesanya, to the Commissioner of Police, Etop James.
The PDP in the state received a quit notice from the landlord, asking it to vacate the state party secretariat in Ado Ekiti for failure to pay its rent.
The landlord, a two-term state PDP chairman and now a member of the All Progressives Congress, was aggrieved that the ruling party in the state allegedly issued him a dud cheque for the rent.
Adesanya, who was the PDP chairman for eight years during which Governor Ayodele Fayose won the 2003 governorship election, is demanding N1.5m owed as rent.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Ekiti State, Alberto Adeyemi, confirmed to our correspondent on the telephone that Faleye was interrogated over dud cheque.
“It is true that he was arrested and quizzed by officers from the Force Headquarters, Abuja. But he has been released,” he said.
It was learnt that Faleye was released on health ground after a former PDP chairman, Bola Olu-Ojo and Special Adviser to the Governor on Due Process, Segun Akinwumi, signed an undertaking for him.
But Faleye, who later addressed journalists, said he was not arrested and that no one signed an undertaking for him.
“I followed them (police officers) to the state headquarters and wrote a statement, wherein I stated that I did not sign the cheque. The cheque was signed by Dr. T.K.O. Aluko (secretary) and Tunde Olatunde (factional chairman).
“Nobody signed an undertaking on my behalf. I was only invited and not arrested.”
Olatunde, who was the vice chairman (North), was appointed acting chairman following Faleye’s purported resignation from office, but the governor opposed the move.
He confirmed that the cheque issued to Adesanya was not honoured by the old generation bank, despite the fact that the account had about N17m.
A letter of change in signatories, dated May 12 and addressed to the manager of the bank, read, “At the state exco meeting of Tuesday, 12/05/2015, a resolution was passed to change our signatories in line with the developments in the party.
“I was mandated to forward the extracts of the minutes to you for necessary action. Let the signatories to our accounts be Mr. Olatunde Olatunde (acting chairman) to replace Idowu Faleye (the suspended acting chairman) in line with the party constitution.
“All other signatories, like Dr. T.K.O. Aluko (Secretary) and Hon. Adeolu Aluko (Treasurer) remain valid and confirmed.”
Olatunde and three other SWC members, Aluko, Mrs. Busola Oyebode (Women Leader) and Tunji Olanrewaju (auditor) were first suspended before they were later expelled by the disciplinary committee raised by Faleye.
But the four SWC members have gone to court to challenge their expulsion, with the matter adjourned till October 14..
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