No Going Back On Speaker’s Impeachment

• The Ondo State House of Assembly has been thrown deeper into uncertainty as its spokesperson, Olatunji Ifabiyi, insists that lawmakers are still pursuing the impeachment of Speaker Olamide Oladiji.

• Ifabiyi dismissed claims that the process had been suspended following reconciliation efforts involving Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the lawmakers remain determined to remove the Speaker.

• Oladiji, however, has rejected the claim, insisting that there is no impeachment process against him and that the political disagreements that triggered the crisis have been resolved.

• The conflicting positions have exposed a fresh fault line within the Assembly, with the fate of the Speaker hanging in the balance despite reported intervention by the governor and APC leaders.

August 28, () — The Ondo State House of Assembly has been plunged deeper into a leadership crisis as lawmakers pushing for the removal of Speaker Olamide Oladiji insist that the impeachment process is still active, despite ongoing efforts to reconcile the warring sides.

The Assembly spokesperson, Olatunji Ifabiyi, who disclosed this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday, dismissed reports that the lawmakers had abandoned moves to impeach the Speaker.

Ifabiyi said the reconciliation efforts being undertaken by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and other political leaders had not halted the lawmakers’ action against Oladiji.

“We have been hearing reports that we have stopped the process; that is not correct. It is misinformation. We are still on it. He cannot continue as our Speaker”, he said.

According to him, the lawmakers remain committed to the process, despite the governor’s intervention.

“Although Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa has been speaking with some of us, that does not stop the impeachment process. There is no going back”, the spokesperson added.

The development has heightened tension within the Assembly, with the two sides offering sharply conflicting accounts of the status of the Speaker and the political crisis that has gripped the legislature.

Speaker: ‘There Is No Impeachment’

Oladiji, in his reaction, rejected the claim that impeachment proceedings had commenced against him. The Speaker said the disagreements that led to the crisis had been resolved following the intervention of Governor Aiyedatiwa and other leaders of the APC.

“There is nothing like an impeachment process because the issues have been resolved. There is no impeachment”, Oladiji stated.

He added that the intervention had paved the way for the lawmakers to resume their parliamentary activities.

“Mr Governor and other leaders of the party have intervened, and today we are expected to hold our parliamentary meeting”, he added.

The Speaker also addressed an earlier disagreement at the Assembly complex involving three youth leaders who were reportedly seen on the premises on Thursday.

Oladiji explained that the individuals had visited the Assembly to collect recruitment forms and had previously visited the premises. According to him, some lawmakers questioned their presence, prompting him to intervene and explain that they were his guests.

“I came out of my office and explained to the members that they were my guests and had visited the Assembly on previous occasions”, he noted.

The Speaker denied that the visitors harassed anyone, saying the disagreement was eventually resolved.

“They did not harass anyone, but some members insisted they should leave. We were able to resolve the matter, and there was nothing like an impeachment notice or impeachment process”, he said.