LAND SCANDAL: COMMISSION SUMMONS PDP CHIEFTAINS, MONARCH

By DAUD  OLATUNJI
ABEOKUTA- The Ogun State Judicial Commission of Inquiry on Land Matters, has summoned two chieftains of the  Peoples   Democratic Party, PDP,  in the  state; Yemi Akinwonmi and Senator Babatunde Osolake  as well as an Egba Chief, Oluwole Olumide, to appear before it to explain their roles in controversy trailing some parcels of land they allegedly acquired.

The summon of the PDP's chieftains was in respect to a parcel of land at Ibara GRA, allegedly  allocated to late Chief Folorunso Oke, a former President of the  Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, and a prominent member of the Abeokuta club.

The wife of the late ICAN President, Mrs Ronke Oke, dragged the two politicians before the 5-man panel for allegedly robbing her off her husband's land, claiming the land was allocated to her late husband in 1977 with the deed of sub-lease issued in 1993 by the Ogun State Housing Corporation.

According to the media  officer of the commission, Tunde Kassim, the widow  alleged that after development  started on the land, the corporation issued a notice of revocation sometime in 2004 following which her late husband petitioned the then Governor, Gbenga Daniel, who reversed the revocation order.

Mrs Oke, in her petition, alleged that after the reversal of the revocation by Daniel, she noticed that somebody had started developing the site after pulling down the fence erected by her late husband.

Confirming the allegation against the two PDP stalwarts, Acting Director of Estate and planning in the Housing Corporation, Mr. Sola Adelakun, said two revocation notices were issued between 1998 and 2004 to the late Oke.

He stated that the corporation did comply with the reversal of the revocation but a year after another instruction came from the government that all underdeveloped parcels of land at the Ibara GRA be revoked.

He stated that the land was reallocated to Elder Yemi Akinwonmi who was then the corporation's chairman and later transferred ownership to Senator Tunde Osolake.

Similarly, the commission summoned Chief, Oluwole Olumide to appear before it on the same day in furtherance to the petition of some members of Abeokuta Golf club over the ownership of a parcel of 79 hectares given to the club by the state government for public use.

Olumide was accused by some members of the Golf club to have registered the Golf club in the name of his private business and the C of O issued to suit his personal interest and not that of the club.