Ondo speaker links impeachment plot to APC primary losers

By Boye Oyeyemi

The Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, has alleged that lawmakers who failed to secure the All Progressives Congress tickets for the 2027 elections are behind the renewed move to remove him from office.

The speaker is facing mounting pressure following allegations by some lawmakers that he improperly handled N44 million reportedly released by the Ondo State Oil-Producing Areas Development Commission for the reordering of the agency’s 2026 budget.

The aggrieved legislators have reportedly initiated impeachment proceedings, accusing him of financial misconduct and insisting that legislative activities would remain suspended until he vacates office.

Speaking on the development, Oladiji dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, claiming the impeachment campaign was driven by fears that he could retain the speakership if re-elected in 2027.

“They don’t want me to return as speaker in 2027. That is the real issue. If these allegations were genuine, why were they not raised over the past three years? They only surfaced after the APC primary elections,” he said.

The speaker maintained that the assembly had enjoyed relative peace under his leadership and expressed confidence that intervention by leaders of the ruling APC and other stakeholders would resolve the dispute.

He added that efforts were ongoing to reconcile aggrieved members and restore normal legislative activities.

However, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Fabiyi, rejected Oladiji’s claims, insisting that the impeachment move had nothing to do with the outcome of the APC primaries but was based on alleged abuse of office and constitutional violations. Fabiyi further insisted that the lawmakers would not back down from their position, stressing that the decision to seek Oladiji’s removal remained unchanged despite the speaker’s defence.