From Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Kwara State, has given the Chairman of Offa Local Government Area, Hon. Suleiman Olatunji Omituntun, 48 hours to explain reports of unexplained bank credit alerts ranging from ₦80,000 to ₦800,000 received by some council workers.
The party also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to investigate the transactions and determine their source and purpose.
The PDP, in a statement issued on Friday by its State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Adewara, said it received reports from multiple sources in Offa that several local government employees had received unexpected payments into their bank accounts since October 11.
According to the party, some of the affected workers allegedly received amounts ranging from ₦80,000 and ₦250,000 to ₦800,000 and above, despite not applying for loans or formally requesting such payments.
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It further alleged that the workers were subsequently instructed to refund the money on the grounds that the payments resulted from a technical error by a consultant.
The development, the PDP said, had raised questions about the authorisation of the payments, the origin of the funds, the role of the consultant and the account to which the affected workers were allegedly asked to return the money.
“We cannot accept a situation in which civil servants are unexpectedly credited with unexplained sums and subsequently asked to return the money under the claim of a technical error, without a transparent account of what happened,” the statement said.
The opposition party insisted that if the transactions resulted from an administrative mistake, the council authorities should provide documentary evidence and adopt a transparent and lawful process to recover the funds.
It therefore challenged Omituntun to publicly explain the source of the money, the purpose of the payments, the identity of the consultant involved and the basis for the reported refund directive within 48 hours.
The PDP warned that, if established, the allegations could raise concerns about financial accountability and the management of public funds under the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
It also urged the affected workers to preserve their bank alerts, account statements, text messages and any instructions relating to the alleged refunds.
The party advised the workers against transferring the money to any account based solely on informal instructions, urging them to seek verifiable clarification from the relevant authorities and their banks before taking further action.
The PDP further called on the police and the Department of State Services (DSS), alongside the EFCC and ICPC, to secure relevant financial records, investigate the consultant’s alleged involvement and establish whether the transactions were legitimate payments, administrative errors or possible financial fraud.
The party also linked its concerns to the approaching 2027 general elections, alleging that the circumstances surrounding the transactions warranted scrutiny of financial activities under the AbdulRazaq-led administration.
As of the time of the statement, the PDP’s allegations and account of the transactions had not been independently verified, and the statement did not include a response from the Offa Local Government chairman or the consultant allegedly involved.
