CBN, Attorney-General Deny Release Of Withheld Osun Council Funds To APC Chairmen, Councillors

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ànd the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) person denied reports of the merchandise of the withheld Osun State section authorities fiscal allocations to the chairmen and councillors elected connected the level of the All Progressives Congress successful 2022.

The 2 authorities agencies told a Federal High Court successful Abuja that the assertion of releasing the funds to the disputed chairmen and councillors whose tenure would expire connected October 22 was a realm of rumours.

The Osun State Government’s counsel, Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, told Justice Emeka Nwite that the funds, which are the taxable of litigation earlier his court, had been unlawfully released to the APC chairmen betwixt Thursday and Friday past week.

Adetunbi specifically confirmed that contempt the bid of the tribunal that the presumption quo should beryllium maintained pending the solution of the suit connected the fiscal allocation, CBN and OAGF released the withheld wealth done peculiar accounts opened for the disputed Local Government chairmen astatine the United Bank for Africa (UBA).

The elder lawyer, however, said that successful a swift reaction, the Osun State Government approached a High Court of Oyo State and secured a restraining bid against the bank, stopping it from disbursing the funds to the affected persons.

Adetunbi further told the tribunal that his lawsuit had to attack the Oyo State High Court due to the fact that their counterpart successful Osun State had been connected strike.

While admitting that the restraining bid had been served connected the bank, CBN, and OAGF, helium said that helium had nary documentary grounds astatine the clip of his submissions to beryllium placed earlier the court.

In their reactions, Murtala Abdulrasheed and Tajudeen Oladoja, some SANs and representing CBN ànd OAGF respectively, denied that their clients person affected the merchandise of the wealth to the APC section authorities chairmen arsenic alleged by the plaintiff.

In their abstracted submissions, the 2 elder lawyers who aligned with themselves insisted that the accusation provided by the plaintiff counsel remained rumours contempt documentary evidence.

In his question to transportation the proceeding successful the lawsuit to Osogbo, the Osun State lawyer said that since the tribunal abrogation had lapsed, the suit should beryllium moved to wherever it was initially instituted successful the involvement of justice, just hearing, and just play.

Adetunbi insisted that transferring the suit from Osogbo to Abuja during abrogation was successful atrocious religion and questionable due to the fact that determination was nary urgency to warrant specified action.

Specifically, helium said that the missive transferring the lawsuit by the Chief justice of the Federal High Court gave untenable reasons that each the defendants are based successful Abuja, adding that specified reasons ought not to person travel from the Chief Judge but for the defendants.

In vehement opposition, CBN and OAGF argued that the missive transferring the lawsuit from Osogbo to Abuja clarified that the Abuja tribunal should perceive the suit substantively.

The 2 agencies said that Chief Judge John Tsoho’s transportation of a lawsuit was an administrative determination that the Osun State Government could not challenge.

They pleaded that the lawsuit beryllium expeditiously determined successful Abuja. Meanwhile, Justice Nwite has fixed October 16 for a ruling connected whether the suit should beryllium returned to Osogbo.