The crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly deepened on Thursday as lawmakers insisted that efforts by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and other party leaders to resolve the dispute would not stop the ongoing move to remove the Speaker, Hon. Olamide Oladiji.
The development came amid reports of the presence of suspected hoodlums at the Assembly complex earlier in the day, although Oladiji later clarified that the individuals were his youth leaders who had visited the Assembly to obtain recruitment forms.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Mr Olatunji Fabiyi, disclosed in a telephone interview with journalists shortly before the lawmakers’ meeting that the impeachment process against the Speaker was still ongoing and would be concluded.
Fabiyi dismissed reports that the lawmakers had abandoned the impeachment process, describing such reports as misinformation.
“We have been hearing news that we have disembarked on the process. This is a lie; that is misinformation. We are still on it. He can’t be our Speaker again,” he said.
According to him, although Governor Aiyedatiwa had been engaging some lawmakers in an effort to resolve the crisis, the governor’s intervention would not stop the impeachment proceedings.
“Although the Governor has been speaking with some of us, that does not stop the impeachment. There is no going back,” Fabiyi added.
Earlier, tension reportedly heightened at the Assembly complex following the presence of some youths said to be from Ondo township, which is part of the Speaker’s constituency.
A source within the Assembly alleged that the youths moved from one office to another, prompting some lawmakers and security personnel to intervene and ask them to leave the premises.
However, Oladiji denied that the youths were hoodlums, explaining that they were three of his youth leaders whom he had invited to the Assembly to obtain recruitment forms.
The Speaker said the youths were not aware of the crisis in the Assembly and had visited the complex on previous occasions without harassing or disturbing lawmakers.
He said some members approached the youths and questioned their presence before insisting that they leave the premises.
“I came out from my office, and I tried to pacify the members that they are my people that have been coming to the House of Assembly and they have not harassed any members of the House of Assembly, but they said they don’t want them and asked them to go,” Oladiji said.
Contrary to Fabiyi’s position, Oladiji maintained that there was no impeachment process against him, saying the dispute had been resolved following the intervention of the governor and other party leaders.
“There’s nothing like impeachment notice. There’s nothing like impeachment process, and we were able to resolve the whole matter,” he said.
Oladiji added that the lawmakers were expected to hold their parliamentary meeting on Thursday, suggesting that normal legislative activities had resumed.
The conflicting positions have, however, deepened uncertainty over the Speaker’s political future, with Fabiyi insisting that the lawmakers remain committed to removing Oladiji despite the intervention of the governor and other party leaders.
The development has further heightened concerns over the leadership of the Assembly, as both sides continue to maintain opposing positions on whether the impeachment process is still active or has been resolved.
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