The political crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly has intensified as 21 lawmakers reaffirmed their determination to impeach the Speaker, Olamide Oladiji, despite alleged efforts by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to frustrate the planned removal.
The lawmakers accused the Speaker of financial misconduct, alleging that he misappropriated ₦44million linked to the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).
Meanwhile, they insisted that they had already secured the required number of signatures to commence impeachment proceedings against him.
Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Fabiyi, disclosed that the Assembly had issued Oladiji a seven-day ultimatum to resign or face impeachment.
Fabiyi said no fewer than 21 of the 26 members of the Assembly had endorsed the impeachment notice, stressing that the Speaker had lost the confidence of the overwhelming majority of lawmakers.
Legal Observer reports that Fabiyi said the crisis is an internal matter of the legislature and should not be subject to interference by the executive arm of government.
He stated that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had been making efforts to persuade some lawmakers to abandon the impeachment process, describing such moves as an attempt to frustrate the will of the Assembly.
Fabiyi, however, maintained that the lawmakers had no personal grievances against the governor but insisted that the leadership of the House remained exclusively the business of legislators.
“The governor should allow the House to determine its own leadership without interference. The leadership of the Assembly is an internal legislative matter,” he said.
The lawmaker further revealed that members initially believed Governor Aiyedatiwa requested a seven-day window to intervene in the crisis, but later discovered that he had instead sought 14 days, a period expected to lapse next Sunday.
He said the lawmakers had resolved to suspend plenary indefinitely until there was a change in the leadership of the Assembly.
Fabiyi also accused Speaker Oladiji of sidelining lawmakers in the management of funds allegedly released for the reordering of the 2026 OSOPADEC budget.
According to him, the Speaker failed to carry members along in the handling of the funds, an action that further eroded confidence in his leadership.
He warned that if the Speaker failed to resign voluntarily within the ultimatum, lawmakers would proceed with impeachment in accordance with constitutional provisions.
“We have resolved not to hold plenary until there is a change of Speaker. If he does not resign, we will impeach him. If he refuses to do the needful, we will take the necessary constitutional steps,” Fabiyi said.
The unfolding crisis has exposed deep divisions within the Ondo State House of Assembly and raised fresh concerns over executive-legislative relations in the state, as lawmakers insist they will not back down from removing the Speaker despite alleged intervention by Governor Aiyedatiwa.
SaharaReporters had on Monday reported that the Ondo State House of Assembly lawmakers declared an indefinite boycott of plenary sessions, insisting they would not return until Speaker Olamide Oladiji resigns over allegations that he unilaterally reordered the N9.2 billion 2025 budget of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).
The standoff has effectively paralysed legislative activities in the state, with lawmakers warning that the speaker would be impeached if he refuses to step down.
The spokesperson for the Ondo State House of Assembly, Olatunji Ifabiyi, disclosed the lawmakers’ position during an interview with journalists on Monday in Akure, maintaining that the majority of members had already resolved that Oladiji should vacate office.
According to Ifabiyi, 21 out of the 26 lawmakers in the Assembly have signed a resolution seeking the speaker’s removal following allegations that he single-handedly reordered the OSOPADEC 2025 budget without the approval of the House.
“We have resolved not to hold a plenary until there is a change of speaker. 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,” Ifabiyi said.
“If he doesn’t resign, we will impeach him. If he fails to do the needful, we will do the needful,” he added.
The crisis stems from allegations that Oladiji altered the structure of the N9.2 billion OSOPADEC budget without legislative approval, an action that has sparked outrage among the overwhelming majority of lawmakers.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the development has deepened divisions within the Assembly and stalled legislative proceedings as members remain adamant that no plenary session will be held until the leadership crisis is resolved.
Meanwhile, a principal officer of the Assembly, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, revealed that the Ondo State executive arm of government had stepped in to mediate the crisis.
According to the lawmaker, a peace meeting involving the executive was held on Sunday, although participants agreed not to disclose the details of the deliberations.
SaharaReporters previously reported that a member of the Ondo State House of Assembly representing Ilaje Constituency II, Hon. Olawumi Fayemi-Obayelu, levelled allegations against the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, accusing him of forging a legislative resolution allegedly used to alter the 2025 budget of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).
The lawmaker also stated that she and the other member representing the Ilaje constituencies were deliberately excluded from an ad hoc committee constituted to consider the commission’s budget, despite serving as the Vice Chairman of the House Committee on OSOPADEC.
(SaharaReporters)
