Twenty-one out of the twenty-six lawmakers in the Ondo State House of Assembly have reportedly signed to impeach their Speaker, Olamide Oladiji, over alleged financial misconduct.
The lawmakers called for Oladiji’s immediately resignation to prevent his impeachment at the next plenary.
They alleged that the Speaker diverted N44 million for the reordering of the budget of the Ondo State Oil-Producing Areas Development Commission(OSOPADEC) meant for the riverine communities of the state.
A member of the House of Assembly who spoke on condition of anonymity alleged that the Speaker reordered the OSOPADEC budget without carrying other members along.
“Yes, we are removing him. We just want him to resign honourably and, if he fails to do so, we will impeach him on the floor of the House.
“We have initiated an impeachment notice, and 21 members have already signed.
“We started the process about three weeks ago, but the governor has been talking to us, which is why we delayed it. But now, the governor has advised him to resign when we met with him. So, we are removing him,” the lawmaker stated.
However, the Speaker denied the allegations, particularly the issue of ₦44 million fund, and dismissed the ongoing plot by two-thirds of the Assembly to impeach him.
“The attention of the Office of the Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Olamide Oladiji, has been drawn to a sensationalised, malicious and entirely fabricated report alleging an ongoing leadership crisis, an impending impeachment threat and a contemplated resignation over an alleged N44m OSOPADEC fund.
“We state unequivocally, without an atom of ambiguity, that Rt Hon Olamide Oladiji never contemplated resigning, nor is there any leadership crisis within the 10th Ondo State House of Assembly.
“The report is a total figment of the imagination of its authors and their nameless, cowardly sources. It is false, completely lacks merit and is sponsored by desperate political detractors aimed at destabilising the legislative arm and heating up the polity.
“Given that the sponsors of this rumour failed to present valid evidence, the premise of this fake news is not only absurd but also an insult to the intelligence of the reading public.
“To further expose the malicious intent of these anonymous ‘sources’, we wish to clarify the internal financial procedures of the Assembly.
“Autonomy of members: Honourable members autonomously manage, determine and agree upon their internal welfare and resource allocations without interference from the Speaker’s office.
“Transparency: The Speaker only receives what is legitimately, rightfully and constitutionally allotted to his office as duly shared by the collective agreement of the members.
“The claim that the Speaker ‘sidelined’ lawmakers in the handling of any N44m OSOPADEC fund is therefore a manufactured lie designed to create artificial disaffection where none exists,” Oladiji said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Ilaje Constituency 2, in the Ondo State House of Assembly, Olawumi Fayemi-Obayelu, has accused the Speaker of corruption, abuse of office as well as attempt to silence her through threats and an assassination plot.
Fayemi-Obayelu alleged that the Speaker was involved in financial misconduct involving OSOPADEC.
The lawmaker, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said her investigation into the matter had led to threats on her life, adding that she escaped death by a whisker in the early hours of Tuesday.
Fayemi-Obayelu called on the Speaker to resign or face impeachment.
“I have received numerous calls threatening me to halt my findings from the ongoing investigation linking bribery, forgery and corruption between the Speaker of the House of Assembly and the OSOPADEC.
“Just now, I narrowly escaped death. This is my special message to you, Rt Hon. Oladiji, A.K.A. Landmark. The speaker of the 10th assembly. You want to silence me because you feel like I am the pillar for your issues within the house of assembly.
“This time, there shall not be any form of intimidation or threat that will stop me. I still stand unshaken by your arrogance regarding fraudulent activities of the 10th assembly.
“You see this stupid game of yours; it will not stand. Ilaje people will not continue to suffer while you plot with the management to syphon money meant for my people. Never. I will not be intimidated by you or your fellow fraudsters,” the lawmaker said.
Reacting, Oladiji challenged the lawmaker to provide concrete evidence to substantiate her claims.
“The allegation she made against me as regards assassination attempts, I think the law enforcement agent will be in charge of that to carry out their independent investigation about that.
“I’m a law-abiding citizen; I have been the Speaker of the House of Assembly for the past three years, and such an allegation has not come up against me,” the Speaker said.
Sources within the Assembly said the Speaker had planned stepping down on Monday but reportedly shelved the plan following intervention from Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
