Ondo Assembly Speaker Faces Impeachment Threat Amid Alleged ₦44 Million OSOPADEC Fund Controversy
A leadership crisis has reportedly emerged in the Ondo State House of Assembly, as 21 out of the 26 lawmakers are said to be backing moves to remove the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, over allegations of financial misconduct involving ₦44 million linked to the reordering of the Ondo State Oil-Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) budget.
According to reports, the lawmakers have initiated impeachment proceedings after accusing the Speaker and his deputy of mishandling funds allegedly connected to the budget reordering exercise.
A lawmaker, who spoke anonymously, disclosed that members were encouraging the Speaker to resign voluntarily to avoid impeachment during plenary.
According to the source, the Speaker allegedly reordered the OSOPADEC budget without consulting members of the Assembly.
“Yes, we are removing him. We just want him to resign honourably and, if he fails to do so, we will impeach him on the floor of the House. We have initiated an impeachment notice, and 21 members have already signed,” the lawmaker said.
The source further revealed that the impeachment process reportedly began about three weeks ago but was delayed following interventions by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
The lawmaker added that the governor had since advised the Speaker to step down, prompting lawmakers to proceed with the impeachment plan.
Speaker Dismisses Allegations
Reacting to the reports, Speaker Olamide Oladiji denied any knowledge of an impeachment notice and rejected claims of a planned resignation.
In a statement issued by his office and titled “Re: Fabricated Resignation Rumours and Baseless ₦44 Million OSOPADEC Allegations: A Disservice to Truth and an Insult to Logic,” the Speaker described the allegations as false, malicious and politically motivated.
The statement maintained that there was no leadership crisis in the Assembly and insisted that the report was sponsored by political opponents seeking to destabilise the legislature.
The Speaker also challenged those making the allegations to provide credible evidence, describing the claims as baseless and misleading.
His office further explained that members of the Assembly independently determine their welfare and internal resource allocations without interference from the Speaker, adding that any funds received by his office were allocated through the collective agreement of lawmakers.
The statement equally dismissed claims that lawmakers were sidelined in decisions relating to the alleged OSOPADEC funds, insisting that the allegations were fabricated to create unnecessary division within the Assembly.
Residents of Ondo State were urged to disregard the reports, as the Speaker’s office maintained that there was no imminent leadership crisis in the House of Assembly.
