‘Impeached’ Ondo Speaker resumes position as 18 members who sacked him remain on the run

It was renewed drama at the Ondo State House of Assembly on Monday as “impeached” Speaker Bamidele Oloyelogun presided over the plenary of the House.

This came as the new Speaker of the House, Olamide George and Abimbola Fajolu his deputy, as well as some other members of the House who impeached Oloyelogun are still on the run and nowhere to be found near the Assembly complex.

Oloyelogun and his deputy, Iroju Ogundeji, were on Friday purportedly impeached by 18 members of the House and in their place George and Fajolu were selected as new Speaker and Deputy respectively.

The new principal officers and the lawmakers who carried out the attack were immediately attacked by thugs. They have since fled Ondo to Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State over alleged threat on their lives and those of their family members.

However despite being impeached, Oloyelogun was seen on Monday presiding over the plenary of the House as Speaker.

The development is coming as the impeached Speaker is claiming that 16 and not 18 members of the Assembly, as claimed by George, signed his impeachment notice.

According to him, signatures of two lawmakers he gave their names as Sunday Olajide, who represents Akure South Constituency II, and Ose Constituency’s representative, Olusola Oluyede, were forged.

Confirming the sacked Speaker’s claim, Olajide said he was neither informed nor briefed on the move by his colleagues to impeach Oloyelogun and his deputy.

In the same vein, Oluyede said he was shocked to find his name and signature on the impeachment notice.

“I am here to deny the rumour of the purported impeachment. I am not part of it and I cannot be part of it,” he said at the plenary on Monday.

Consequently, Oloyelogun announced the suspension of the supposed new Speaker and 15 other lawmakers. He also declared his impeachment as null and void and urged security agencies to arrest and prosecute them for forgery and perjury.

“In view of this, the House has taken the decision on it to call on the security agents to probe that purported signatures and names so that those involved in that forgery will be quickly brought to book,” he said.

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At the plenary attended by nine members 2018 Appropriation Bill sent by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu for amendment was read.

Meanwhile, George and other lawmakers who are still on the run have insisted that the impeachment of Oloyelogun

George and 10 other members of the purported group of 18 lawmakers, who fled Akure, appeared on Monday at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, Oyo State, where they claimed some of their members were still recuperating at a Lagos hospital while three others were discharged earlier on Monday.

The lawmakers who were led by their new speaker, Olamide George, told reporters that they would remain in ‘exile’ until President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector-General of Police could guarantee their safety and those of their families.

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