Ondo speaker’s impeachment illegal — Mimiko

Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko yesterday described as unconstitutional, the purported impeachment of the speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mrs. Jumoke Akindele.

Addressing State House reporters after meeting with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, Mimiko said 13 of the 26 members of the house are short of the two-third recommended by the law for the speaker’s impeachment.

“The sitting speaker now has made it abundantly clear that she is ready to step aside, she is ready to resign her position.

“But the group that purportedly impeached her, not even a simple majority can impeach the speaker; it has to be two-third.

“That is to tell you about the fact that 13 out of 26 members of the House do not have constitutional or legal empowerment to impeach the speaker.

“But as I speak with you now, she is ready to step down any time once the House is properly constituted,” he said.

The governor said the crisis was not directly related to the politics of his plan to submit the state’s 2017 budget proposal to the House.

“I don’t think it is directly related. I think it is just about changing leadership structure in the House and all of that. The governor now is from the northern central district and the deputy governor is from the southern central district and then, the speaker is from the south.

“There are those who feel that she (the speaker) should step aside so that they can get someone from the central senatorial district. I think that has been sorted out,” he said.