Ondo lawmakers insist on speaker’s impeachment over alleged N44m diversion

By Boye Oyeyemi

The crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly deepened on Monday as 21 lawmakers insisted on the impeachment of the Speaker, Olamide Oladiji, over allegations of financial misconduct involving N44 million reportedly released by the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Fabiyi, disclosed this during a telephone interview, saying the lawmakers had already signed an impeachment notice and given the speaker seven days to resign or face removal from office.

Fabiyi also accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of frustrating the impeachment process by allegedly persuading some lawmakers to withdraw their support for the move, insisting that the speaker had lost the confidence of the majority of the assembly members.

“We have nothing against the governor, but this is strictly an internal affair of the house. The speaker has lost the confidence of members and should be allowed to step aside in the interest of peace.”

According to him, the lawmakers’ decision followed allegations that the speaker failed to carry members along in the disbursement of N44 million said to have been released for the reordering of the 2026 OSOPADEC budget.

Fabiyi maintained that the assembly would suspend plenary sittings until a new speaker emerged, stressing that members were united in their resolve to replace the current leadership.

“The house has resolved not to hold plenary until there is a change of leadership. If the speaker refuses to resign, we will invoke the constitutional process to remove him.”

The lawmaker further claimed that although members initially believed they had granted the governor seven days to intervene, they later realised the request was for 14 days, which he said would expire next Sunday, adding that the lawmakers remained committed to carrying out the impeachment if the speaker failed to vacate office voluntarily.