The Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, has alleged that the move by 21 lawmakers to remove him from office is politically motivated and linked to the 2027 elections.
Naijaonpoint reports that Oladiji made the claim on Wednesday while reacting to the growing calls for his resignation or impeachment over allegations of financial misconduct and abuse of office.
The crisis reportedly centres on about ₦44 million linked to the reordering of the budget of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission.
The Speaker, however, dismissed the allegations, insisting that the lawmakers were using the issue to pursue political interests ahead of the next general elections.
“They don’t want me to come back as Speaker in 2027. That is the major issue,” Oladiji said.
He added, “We are all politicians, and we know these complaints they are raising. Have they been making these complaints over the past three years? Why now, during the electioneering period?”
21 Lawmakers Demand Speaker’s Removal
The dispute has thrown the 26-member Ondo State House of Assembly into crisis, with 21 lawmakers demanding that Oladiji resign or be impeached.
The aggrieved lawmakers accused the Speaker of approving a House resolution on the reordering of the OSOPADEC budget without obtaining the approval of the entire Assembly.
They also alleged that the Speaker had failed to ensure regular plenary sessions, claiming that the Assembly had held only four plenary sittings in the past seven months.
According to the lawmakers, the development had slowed down legislative activities in the state.
Naijaonpoint understands that the lawmakers have vowed not to return to plenary until Oladiji leaves office.
Their position has remained unchanged despite several meetings involving Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state and other stakeholders in an attempt to resolve the crisis.
Governor Aiyedatiwa is believed to be sympathetic to the Speaker and has reportedly appealed to the lawmakers to give room for ongoing efforts to resolve the disagreement.
Oladiji, who expressed confidence that the crisis would soon be resolved, said the matter was being handled through the internal mechanisms of the APC.
“We have the leader of the party in the APC, and they are trying to intervene. We have a way of settling our issues,” he said.
He added, “We have been attending a series of meetings and, by the grace of God, in another one week, it will become a thing of the past.”
However, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and spokesperson of the Assembly, Olatunji Fabiyi, rejected the Speaker’s claim that the agitation against him was connected to the 2027 elections.
Fabiyi insisted that the lawmakers were acting based on their concerns over alleged misconduct and abuse of office.
“He claimed some of us did not get return tickets, but we have been observing his actions for a long time,” Fabiyi said.
According to him, the disagreement had nothing to do with political ambitions or the re-election prospects of lawmakers.
“The issue is not about tickets. The question is whether the Speaker should unilaterally issue a resolution claiming the House approved the OSOPADEC budget reordering without the Assembly’s approval,” he stated.
Fabiyi further insisted that the 21 lawmakers remained united in their demand for the Speaker’s removal.
He warned that any individual supporting Oladiji in the ongoing crisis should be prepared to explain the reasons for such support.
“Our resolution still stands: he must go. Anyone supporting him at this stage should explain why. Whoever is backing him is an accomplice,” Fabiyi said.
