The Oyo State House of Assembly has strongly refuted allegations by Hon. Ibrahim Shittu, member representing Saki West State Constituency, that it secretly approved a ₦300 billion loan request for Governor Seyi Makinde during an emergency plenary session.
Shittu had claimed that the sitting, held on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, was convened without proper notice to lawmakers and was used to hurriedly push through the loan facility while the House was officially on recess.
Recall that the lawmaker had in a trending post on his Facebook page accused the state Assembly of approving a loan request by the governor in a hasty manner noting that the House was still in recess.
He alleged that the decision to approve the facility was finalized on August 26, 2025, while the House was still on its six-week recess, which began on July 31 and is due to end on September 16.
“I was not among other lawmakers who approved this loan. The House is currently on recess, yet an emergency plenary session was arranged to approve such a huge facility without informing all members,” he said.
Shittu also questioned the timing of the loan, stressing that the state’s improved revenue profile made such borrowing unnecessary.
However, in a joint statement on Thursday, August 28, signed by the Majority Leader, Hon. Sanjo Adedoyin, and the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Media, Public Affairs and ICT, Hon. Waheed Akintayo (Ilumoka), the Assembly described Shittu’s comments as “baseless, unfortunate and shameful.”
The lawmakers insisted that all members were duly notified of the emergency plenary through the Assembly’s general communication platform, with acknowledgments received from some members.
A screenshot of the notification circulated by the Majority Leader was also made public as proof.
“Emergency plenaries are not illegal; they are constitutional and practiced in all serious legislatures across Nigeria, including the National Assembly,” the statement read.
Clarifying the facility, the Assembly explained that out of the ₦300 billion, ₦149 billion was meant to refinance an existing loan facility with United Bank for Africa (UBA), while ₦151 billion represents a new request aimed at funding infrastructure projects and supporting contractors.
The lawmakers accused Shittu of “deliberately or ignorantly” misrepresenting facts to the public for political scores.
Beyond the loan issue, the Assembly also questioned Shittu’s legislative performance, claiming his attendance at plenary sessions stands at just 20 percent, the lowest so far among members of the 10th Assembly.
They alleged that he was consistently absent at key sittings, including the budget presentation and the Governor’s State of the State Address, and that he had no record of sponsoring any bill or motion since joining the 10th Assembly.
“It is clear that Hon. Shittu has not only failed his constituents but also betrayed the legislative mandate he was entrusted with. He has no bill, no motion, no contribution on the floor, and now seeks to cover his ineffectiveness with lies,” the statement added.
The Assembly urged the public to disregard what it described as “politically motivated antics of a non-performing lawmaker,” advising Shittu to “redirect his energy towards becoming a functional legislator.”