Impeachment: Ondo Lawmakers Insist On Speaker’s Removal, Accuse Aiyedatiwa Of Interference

The bid to remove the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, has gained momentum as the lawmakers backing the impeachment process accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of attempting to halt the exercise by reaching out to members of the legislature.

The lawmakers, through the spokesperson for the Assembly, Hon.Olatunji Fabiyi, claimed that 21 members had already signed the impeachment notice against Oladiji, insisting that the decision to change the leadership of the House remained unchanged.

Fabiyi alleged that the governor had been persuading some lawmakers to withdraw their support for the impeachment process, arguing that the matter was strictly within the constitutional powers of the legislature.

He said the lawmakers had no grievances against Governor Aiyedatiwa but were only determined to replace the current leadership of the Assembly.

“I have the opinion that the governor is calling some members that they should backpedal on the issue of impeachment. It is exclusively a private affair of the House. It’s not an executive affair,” Fabiyi said.

He questioned the reason behind the governor’s alleged intervention, adding that the executive arm should not interfere in the affairs of the legislature.

“If there is no hidden agenda, I see no reason why Mr Governor should be protecting one Speaker. And if there is a hidden agenda, let him say it to the whole world now,” he said.

Fabiyi maintained that the lawmakers had already communicated their position to the governor, stressing that their action was not targeted at him but against the leadership of the Assembly.

“We have made it very clear to Mr Governor that we don’t have anything against him other than we don’t want our leadership. There is no reason why somebody should continue to perpetrate himself over us when we don’t want him again,” he added.

The latest development followed allegations over the management of N44 million reportedly released to the Assembly by the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).

‎Some lawmakers had accused Oladiji of failing to carry members along in the handling of the funds, a claim the Speaker dismissed as false and fabricated.

‎The controversy has further deepened tension within the Assembly, with reports suggesting that the positions of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker Ololade Gbegudu, and Clerk of the House, Benjamin Jaiyeola, could be affected.

‎However, Oladiji has continued to deny the existence of any leadership crisis, insisting that the Assembly remained united.

‎Fabiyi also disclosed that lawmakers initially believed Governor Aiyedatiwa had requested seven days to intervene in the matter but later discovered that the governor sought 14 days.

‎“At the initial stage, we thought it was seven days that Mr Governor requested from us, but it is clear to us that he begged for 14 days, not seven days. The 14 days will last till next Sunday,” he said.

‎‎He insisted that the lawmakers remained committed to their decision, stressing that the move to remove the Speaker was a resolution of the entire House.

‎“It is the resolution of the whole House that Mr Speaker should go,” Fabiyi stated.