By Duchess Ifeoluwa 

The leadership crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly deepened on Thursday as 21 of the 26 lawmakers reportedly insisted that there is no going back on their decision to remove the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, unless he voluntarily resigns from office before the weekend.

The Speaker is alleged to have misappropriated ₦44 million released to the Assembly by the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).

However, Oladiji has denied the allegation, describing it as false and unfounded.

Speaking with journalists on telephone, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon. Olatunji Fabiyi, said the lawmakers had concluded arrangements to proceed with the impeachment process should the Speaker fail to step down.

Fabiyi disclosed that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s intervention was responsible for the delay in executing the impeachment plan.

“We have resolved that Mr. Speaker should go. But in the wisdom of the leadership of the House, we felt we should meet with Mr. Governor. We have taken the resolution of the members to him because when we first moved against the Speaker, people alleged that someone was sponsoring us,” he said.

According to him, the lawmakers informed the governor that their action was not politically motivated but based on the Speaker’s alleged conduct.

“This is not about Mr. Governor. It is about what Mr. Speaker has done. He is leading us, and we no longer want him to lead us.

“Twenty-one members have signed for his removal. Mr. Governor requested some time before we take further action,” Fabiyi stated.

The lawmaker alleged that the crisis stemmed from the handling of the OSOPADEC budget, claiming that a resolution was prepared in the name of members without their knowledge or approval.

“A resolution was written in the name of members without our knowledge. It stated that we had met and agreed to it, which was not true. You cannot shave our heads behind our backs. That is what we are fighting against.

“If somebody is protecting him, it means that person is aiding and abetting him. If he fails to resign, we will remove him,” he added.

Speaker dismisses allegations

Reacting to the development, the Office of the Speaker dismissed reports of an impending impeachment or resignation, insisting there was no leadership crisis in the Assembly.

In a statement, the Speaker described the reports as malicious, fabricated and the handiwork of political opponents seeking to destabilise the legislative arm of government.

“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 ₦44 million 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,” the statement read.