The leadership crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly was further complicated on Friday as 24 of the 26 lawmakers reportedly declared their support for the removal of the Speaker, Olamide Oladiji.
It was reported that the lawmakers alleged Oladiji of financial impropriety, abuse of office and acting without the approval of the House.
The dispute is concerning N44 million, which is said to be connected with the reordering of the budget of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission.
Spokesman for the aggrieved lawmakers, Olawunmi Fayemi-Obayelu, who represents Ilaje Constituency II, said three more lawmakers had joined the initial 21 to support the impeachment move.
“The development showed that the Speaker had lost the confidence of an overwhelming majority of the Assembly,” she said.
The lawmakers, he said, had carefully avoided making public comments after Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s intervention secured a two-week window for reconciliation.
But she said the peace period would elapse on Sunday, adding that the lawmakers still intended to remove Oladiji.
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The Speaker was also accused by Fayemi-Obayelu of passing a resolution in the name of the House without the approval of members.
She also expressed concerns over the handling of electricity meters distributed under the state government’s O’Datiwa Meter Distribution Programme.
The legislator asked Oladiji to resign for the interest of the Assembly and also to save his political face.
Speaker alleges political conspiracy
But Oladiji denied the allegations, saying the move against him was politically motivated.
The Speaker said the impeachment move was tied to political calculations in view of the elections in 2027 rather than issues of financial accountability.
He said some of the lawmakers were aggrieved after failing to secure return tickets and were also unhappy over alleged support for his continued leadership of the Assembly.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Assembly spokesman, Olatunji Fabiyi, dismissed the Speaker’s explanation.
Fabiyi said the impeachment move was based on governance, accountability and alleged violations of legislative procedure.
He accused Oladiji of taking action without the approval of the House in respect of the re-ordering of the OSOPADEC budget.
But the decision of the lawmakers to seek the removal of the Speaker remained unchanged, he said.
Governor Aiyedatiwa and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains have intervened in the crisis to reconcile the warring parties.
But the aggrieved lawmakers said they had lost confidence in Oladiji’s leadership and were ready to continue with the removal process.
