Ondo lawmakers accuse Aiyedatiwa of interference, insist Speaker must go

The crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly on Monday took a new twist with lawmakers accusing Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of interfering in what they described as an internal legislative affair.

The accusation comes as 21 of the 26 members insisted on removing the Speaker, Olamide Oladiji, with the governor allegedly making efforts to shield the Speaker from impeachment.

The crisis, which has paralysed legislative activities in the state, stemmed from allegations that the Speaker unilaterally reordered the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, OSOPADEC, 2025 budget of N9.2 billion and mismanaged N44 million linked to the commission’s funds.

According to the lawmakers who spoke through the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Fabiyi, representing Odigbo constituency 1, the decision to remove the Speaker is final and non-negotiable.

While describing the governor’s intervention as an unacceptable encroachment on legislative independence, Fabiyi insisted that the matter is strictly a private affair of the House and not subject to executive interference.

The Assembly spokesperson further stated that the governor’s intervention could be interpreted as having ulterior motives, suggesting that the executive may have undisclosed interests in keeping Oladiji as Speaker despite the resolution of more than two-thirds of the lawmakers.

Fabiyi also disclosed that the governor had initially requested a seven-day window for negotiations but later extended this to 14 days following closed door meetings with the lawmakers, with the new deadline now set to expire next Sunday.

He said, “We have resolved not to hold plenary until there is a change of Speaker. For now, there is no development except that Mr Speaker should just give way and allow another person to preside over the Ondo State House of Assembly.

“If he doesn’t resign, we will impeach him. If he fails to do the needful, we will do the needful. We still have seven days to go. Because, I have the opinion that the government is calling some members that they should back-pedal on the issue of impeachment.

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“‎So I don’t know the special interest that Mr Governor is having. 21 members have signed an impeachment against Mr Speaker. To me, I don’t know the interest of Mr Governor. Unless if the government is telling us that they have anything, something in common.”