The Oyo State House of Assembly has denied the report alleging that there was a scam in the purchase of official vehicles for members of the Assembly.
While expressing reservations on the allegation on Monday, the House described it as fictitious and misleading.
This came as the state lawmakers maintained that necessary due process was followed in the purchase of the said vehicles.
A media report had stated recently that the said that the money was released without recourse to due process.
The Chairman House Committee on Information, Kazeem Olayanju, while reacting to a petition allegedly forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, by a former Prosecutor with the Special Presidential Panel on Recovery of Public Property, Tosin Ojaomo, said that the House could not have executed such a project without following due process in line with the official procedures.
Olayanju explained that quotations were received from three companies for the supply of the vehicles in line with the House rules and the tender adjudged as the best and most satisfying was eventually picked and awarded the contract to supply the cars.
He stated that there was a glaring element of bias in the petition as the writer claimed that “The contract was fraudulently arranged to favor the contractor instead of Elizade Motors and Mandilas Motors which also tendered quotations.”
Olayanju maintained that it was inconceivable that the petitioner was making a case for a dealer and suggesting that the contract should have been given to one contactor or the other.
“Why would the petitioner be talking about the interest of one contractor or the other and not the interest of the state and the legislature? Oyo Assembly, as far as we are concerned, followed due process in the purchase of the cars. I can say without mincing words that the petition did not emanate from any of the lawmakers.
“It was a calculated attempt by some busy bodies who are seeking to see Oyo State plunged into imaginary crisis. Some of these paid agents are equally seeking to cause disaffection amongst the lawmakers when, indeed, all the cars have been supplied and delivered and are being used by the lawmakers and the staff,” Olagunju added.
The lawmaker, who also dismissed as a mere conjecture the allegation that the Speaker as well as the Deputy Speaker connived with the company that got the contract to divert the sum of N1.03billion meant for the official vehicles, stated further that the rumour that refurbished cars were supplied was laughable and unthinkable.
“What we expect the vested interests behind the alleged petition to do is to wait for a future time when their bids would sail through the House Tenders Board in respect of any such other business rather than descend to the low of seeking to disparage the House and its leaders.”
