Olamide Oladiji, the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, has been the subject of impeachment proceedings by members due to alleged egregious misbehavior.
Twelve of the Assembly’s twenty-six members, who signed the impeachment notice, voted against the troubled Speaker and demanded that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) look into, prosecute, and recover all alleged embezzled public funds while Oladiji was in charge.
A few days ago, MPs protested Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s N531 billion supplemental budget by staging a walkout in the Assembly. They accused Oladiji of trying to rush the measure through in light of the 2025 budget’s dismal performance.
Jide Oguntodu (Akure South 1), Temitope Akomolafe (Ifedore), Fatai Atere (Akoko North/West 1), Toyin Japhet (Akoko North East), Raymond Daodu (Akoko South West 1), and Samuel Ifabiyi (Odigbo 1) are among the legislators who signed the impeachment notice.
Babatunde Fasonu (Odigbo 2), Oluwatosin Ogunlowo (Idanre), Afe Felix (Akoko North/West 2), Akinruntan Abayomi (Ilaje 1), Nelson Akinsuroju (Ile Oluji/Oke-Igbo), and Stephen Abitogun (Akure South 2) are among the others.
The Speaker was accused by the MPs of misappropriating the House’s monthly operational grants and diverting the N50 million allotted for holding a public hearing.
The lawmakers claimed that the Speaker’s actions violated both the Seventh Schedule, Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which prohibits abuse of office by public officials, and paragraph 9, Part I, Fifth Schedule, Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
“Abuse of office to grant corrupt or unfair advantage is covered by Section 19 of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000; theft by a public servant is covered by Section 390 of the Criminal Code Act (Cap. C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004);
“The aforementioned infractions have seriously compromised the institutional integrity and lawful operations of the House and amount to gross misconduct within the meaning ascribed by Section 188(11) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) (applied by necessary implication),” they asserted.
The Speaker’s aide, who wished to remain anonymous, responded to the revelation by calling the impeachment threat “a political storm in a teacup” and emphasizing that it is dead on arrival.
