Speaker’s impeachment: Ondo lawmakers issue fresh ultimatum, accuse Aiyedatiwa

The crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly has continued, with aggrieved lawmakers accusing Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of preventing the impeachment of the Speaker, Olamide Oladiji.

The crisis began after 21 of the 26 members of the Assembly signed an impeachment notice against Oladiji over allegations of financial misconduct.

The Speaker was alleged to have diverted N44m meant for the reordering of the budget of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission.

The lawmakers subsequently gave him until Sunday to resign or face impeachment on the floor of the House.

Oladiji, however, denied the allegations, saying nothing of such happened.

Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Fabiyi, said the impeachment would have taken place but for what he described as undue interference by the governor.

According to the Assembly spokesman, the embattled Speaker had been given another seven days, which would expire next Sunday, July 2.

He said the lawmakers had resolved to act after the expiration of the deadline.

Fabiyi said, “We still have seven days to go. I have the opinion that the government is calling some members and asking them to backpedal on the issue of impeachment.

“So, I don’t know the special interest that the governor has. Twenty-one members have signed an impeachment notice against the Speaker. For me, I don’t know the interest of the governor.

“Maybe he (Aiyedatiwa) is the person who saddled him with the responsibility of behaving in that way.

“So, if he doesn’t have anything of that nature, I see no reason why somebody should be backing him at this level.

“I have spoken to the governor already, and we have made it very clear to him that we don’t have anything against him other than the fact that we don’t want our leadership.

“So, there is no reason why somebody should continue to impose himself on us when we don’t want him again. It’s a simple thing.”

The lawmaker urged Aiyedatiwa to leave the matter to the Assembly, saying it did not concern the executive arm of government.

He said, “It’s exclusively a private affair of the House. It’s not an executive affair. If there is no hidden agenda, I see no reason why the governor should be protecting the Speaker. And if there is a hidden agenda, let him say it to the whole world now.

“It’s the statutory right of the House members, unless he doesn’t want peace in that House.

“Somebody is leading us astray, and we say we don’t want him again. Mr Governor should just allow peace to reign in the House by allowing the Speaker to step aside.

“The whole House resolves that the Speaker should go. At the initial stage, we thought it was seven days that the governor requested from us, but it is clear to us that he begged for 14 days, not seven days. So, the 14 days will last till next Sunday, July 2.”

In a reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, exonerated the governor, saying he had never interfered in the affairs of the Assembly.

“Mr Governor has nothing to do with what is happening in the House or Assembly, and he has not prevented members from carrying out their legislative duties.

“Mr Governor’s interest is in maintaining peace, law and order. He is not stopping lawmakers from performing any of their legitimate responsibilities,” the CPS stated.