…says crisis triggered by OSOPADEC budget dispute
The Ondo State House of Assembly on Wednesday dismissed allegations that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa was behind the move to remove the Speaker, Hon. Olamide Oladiji, insisting that the leadership crisis rocking the legislature was purely an internal affair.
The Assembly said the decision to seek the Speaker’s removal was taken independently by lawmakers and was not influenced by the executive arm of government.
Speaking with journalists in Akure, the spokesman of the House, Hon. Olatunji Fabiyi, said the Assembly leadership met with Aiyedatiwa after lawmakers had resolved to remove the Speaker.
He explained that the meeting was intended to dispel public perceptions that the governor was behind the planned removal, insisting that the decision was solely that of the lawmakers and was not influenced by the executive arm of government.
According to him, the governor merely appealed for more time before the lawmakers proceeded with any further action.
“We had already resolved that the Speaker should vacate office before we met the governor. We decided to brief him because people were already saying he was behind the move.
“We made it clear to him that this has nothing to do with him. This is about the conduct of the Speaker. He is our leader, and we no longer have confidence in his leadership. The governor only appealed for more time,” Fabiyi said.
The Assembly spokesman disclosed that a majority of lawmakers had endorsed the move to remove the Speaker, warning that constitutional steps would be activated should he fail to resign after the period requested by the governor.
He said the Speaker had been given until Sunday to resign voluntarily, warning that if he failed to do so on or before the deadline, the House would invoke the constitutional process to remove him from office.
Fabiyi attributed the crisis to the controversy surrounding the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) budget, alleging that a House resolution was prepared and presented as the decision of lawmakers without their knowledge or approval.
According to him, members viewed the development as a serious breach of legislative procedure and a violation of the Assembly’s collective decision-making process.
“It is about the OSOPADEC budget. A resolution was written in the name of members without our knowledge. It was presented as though we deliberated on it and agreed, whereas we did not.
“You cannot shave our heads behind our backs. That is exactly what we are resisting,” he said.
Fabiyi also dismissed concerns that the Speaker’s possession of the Assembly’s mace could frustrate the lawmakers’ plan.
“We are legislators. Don’t teach us our job. We know what to do when the time comes,” he stated.
The latest development has further heightened the leadership crisis in the Ondo State House of Assembly, with the Speaker’s fate now dependent on the outcome of the governor’s appeal for restraint and the next steps to be taken by the lawmakers.