OSOPADEC N44m Scam: Aiyedatiwa shielding, frustrating removal of Ondo Speaker – 21 Assembly members

—-No plenary till he resigns

— Hands off if you wants peace in Assembly

By Dayo Johnson Akure

The 21 members of the Ondo State House of Assembly have accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of shielding and frustrating them from removing the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, over allegations of financial misconduct involving about ₦44 million allegedly linked to the reordering of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, OSOPADEC, budget.

The lawmakers dared the governor to explain why he is protecting the Speaker from removal, and urged him to stay out of the matter if he wants peace in the Assembly.

Vanguard gathered that Governor Aiyedatiwa and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state have continued moves to placate the aggrieved members. However, the 21 lawmakers insisted that the Speaker must resign or face impeachment.

Speaking with newsmen, the spokesperson of the Assembly, Hon. Olatunji Fabiyi, alleged that the governor was trying to break their ranks by asking some members to back down on the impeachment move.

Fabiyi, who represents Odigbo Constituency 1, said the governor, after a meeting with them, asked that the Speaker be given 14 days to consider resigning.

“We still have seven days to go. I have the opinion that the governor is calling some members to backpedal on the issue of impeachment. I don’t know the special interest Mr. Governor has,” he said.

“21 members have signed an impeachment notice against Mr. Speaker. Unless the government is telling us they have something in common.

“The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker committed that error. No going back. That is the resolution of members.”

Fabiyi added, “It is exclusively a private affair of the House. It is not an executive affair.

” If there is no hidden agenda, I see no reason why Mr. Governor should be protecting one Speaker. If there is a hidden agenda, let him say it to the whole world.”

He stressed that it was the resolution of the House that the Speaker should go, adding that what was initially presented as seven days had now become 14 days, which will lapse next Sunday.

According to him the lawmakers had resolved not to hold plenary until a new speaker is elected.

“We have resolved not to hold plenary until there is a change of Speaker,” Ifabiyi said.

“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.”

Meanwhile, the state APC Chairman, Hon. Babatunde Kolawole, said the crisis is an internal matter of the Assembly.

“The Assembly is an independent arm of government and they should be able to resolve whatever differences they have,” Kolawole said.