Inside story of Ondo Assembly crisis
Last week, the Ondo State House of Assembly was hit by another crisis, which led to the impeachment of Speaker Bamidele Oleyelogun and Deputy Speaker Ogundeji Iroju by 18 lawmakers.
It was a show of shame as thugs, suspected to be members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), who were armed with different dangerous weapons, stormed the Assembly complex.
Trouble started when the lawmakers, during plenary, accused the Oloyelogun-led executive of incompetence, highhandedness, financial misappropriation and embezzlement of public funds.
Several efforts by Oleyelogun to stop the impeachment were not successful. Some political observers noted that the impeachment was a fallout of the congresses and primary elections of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which deprived many of the lawmakers their return tickets.
Political observers also said the genesis of the crisis could be traced to some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers who decamped to the APC but were not given automatic tickets as agreed with the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu-led government
It was alleged that the former female speaker of the House, Jumoke Akindele, spearheaded the impeachment process and was attacked by Oloyelogun; hence there was physical combat on the floor of the Assembly.
Journalists were also not spared as they were attacked by the thugs.
Immediately after the fight, Olamide George, representing Akure North constituency and Mr Abimbola Fajolu from Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo constituency emerged the new speaker and deputy respectively.
But the Akeredolu-led government insisted that Oleyelogun would continue as speaker. They took a step further by going to the Ondo State Radiovision Corporation (OSRC), the state-owned broadcasting outfit, to announce that there was no impeachment process and Oleyelogun remained the Speaker of the House of Assembly.
Subsequently, the newly elected speaker and other members alleged that their lives were threatened; hence they went underground.
Again, security operatives, journalists and some lawmakers were not spared as the new Deputy Speaker Fajolu and former Speaker Akindele were beaten mercilessly by thugs. They were later taken to the hospital for medical attention.
A journalist working for the Africa Independent Television (AIT), Abiodun Taiwo, who slumped and went into coma as a result of the attack, was rushed to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.
As the crisis continued, it was gathered that security operatives, led by the commissioner of police, Ondo State command, Mr Gbenga Adeyanju, watched helplessly. The thugs operated without any hindrance, destroying a Lexus jeep which belongs to the new speaker, as well as other valuable properties. He was alleged to be acting a script by the state government.
The impeached speaker described the action of the members of the House as null, void and effort in futility, declaring, “I remain the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly.’’
The embattled speaker, who is among the few that secured a return ticket for the 2019 elections, expressed optimism that the action of the 18 members of the House would be reversed and he would be reinstated.
Observers said the crisis could be attributed to the political rivalry and leadership tussle between Akindele, who was the bride of the Mimiko administration, and Iroju, who hails from Ondo South senatorial district.
The first onslaught on the Eighth Assembly was on March 8, 2016, but George, who was among the 14 PDP lawmakers that signed the notice of impeachment, dismissed the incident as a mere squabble after the intervention of Mimiko and some party leaders.
It is said that the new speaker was among the lawmakers who staged the impeachment process that eventually led to the exit of the former, few weeks to the inauguration of the Akeredolu-led administration.
The House, which was predominantly led by 21 PDP lawmakers over five APC minority, was dwindled drastically to eight PDP members as Oleyelogun and Iroju ditched their party to become speaker and deputy speaker respectively.
But less than 72 hours after the state congress of the APC, Iroju was impeached by 18 out of the 22 lawmakers in May 2018. They accused him of high-handedness, malfeasance, misappropriation of funds, gross misconduct and disrespect to the office of the speaker.
The motion for his impeachment was moved by Olotu and seconded by Olumide Coker, while the nomination of a new deputy speaker, Mr. Fajolu, was moved by Mr Sunday Olajide and seconded by Akindele.
Meanwhile, going by distribution of political offices, Akindele would have eventually bowed out of office since the new governor is from the northern district and his deputy, Agboola Ajayi, hails from the same South with the former.
Nonetheless, he was reinstated less than 24 hours after the intervention of the state chairman of the APC, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, who appealed to the lawmakers to reach a truce for the peace and stability of the state.
Speaking on the present impeachment, the current chairman, House Committee on Information, Fatai Olotu, noted that it was done in good faith and in the interest of the state
Speaking on the incessant attacks on journalists, especially by political thugs, the secretary of the Caretaker Committee of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ondo State Council, Mr Olawale Koretimi, said the development was a huge threat to the survival of democracy in the country. He demanded that the perpetrators of the act be brought to book.
Two days after the crisis, the Ondo State Government also announced that they had barred some journalists from covering the Government House, claiming that they were impostors who converted the seat of power to a drinking joint and betting centre. But it was said that the real reason the journalists were barred was because of how they reported the activities of the House of Assembly, which was said not to be favourable to the government. These journalists include reporters from Channels TV, AIT and CORE TV
Presently, the Akeredolu government is having a running battle with the leadership of the national leadership of the APC over candidates for the forthcoming general elections. He is not comfortable with the list released by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party ahead of the 2019 elections as it disqualified most of his candidates, Daily Trust on Sunday gathered.
It is also said that Akeredolu is becoming unpopular as a result of his unfriendly attitude to pressmen and the fact that he allegedly runs the state from his Ibadan residence.
Meanwhile, the impeachment letter signed by 18 lawmakers and made available to newsmen read in part, “They do not possess the requisite skills, attributes and competence to lead the House at this critical time.’’
Two lawmakers, Sunday Olajide, representing Akure South constituency II and his counterpart, Folusho Oluyede, from Ose constituency, said they were not in the state when the purported impeachment was carried out.
Oluyede said it was criminal for anyone to forge his signature, maintaining that he was not part of any meeting and did not participate in the impeachment process.
“I am here to deny the rumour of the purported impeachment. I am not part of it and cannot be part of it,” he said.
It was also alleged that the 18 lawmakers took the decision after a meeting with the governor, which was boycotted by others.
Speaking on the impeachment, the chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Olajide, said he was neither informed nor briefed on the move by his colleagues. He said it was a friend that informed him on phone.
In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Yemi Olowolabu, he said it’s not true that the 2018 reordered budget of the state was the cause of the attempt to remove the speaker and his deputy. He stated that a statement by Honourable Olugbenga Araoyinbo was an orchestrated mischief.
“I wish to put on record that it is not unusual for budget to be reordered. This was done here in Ondo State by previous administrations and it is being done in other states in the country. Recently, even the Federal Government had to reorder the 2018 budget in line with some prevailing fiscal realities.