Ondo Assembly suspends Dep Speaker, another lawmaker who refused to sign Dep gov, Ajayi, impeachment notice

Ondo State House of Assembly has suspended its Deputy Speaker, Iroju Ogundeji and another member, Adewale Williams.

It was learnt that the two suspended lawmakers were among the nine state assembly members who refused to sign the impeachment notice issued against the state Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi by the lawmakers on Tuesday.

However, the leadership of the assembly claimed on Wednesday, that the deputy speaker and Williams were suspended over alleged unruly behaviour.

The state assembly had suspended Ogundeji and another member, Adewale Williams, both of whom were among the nine state assembly members who refused to sign the impeachment notice issued against the state Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, by the lawmakers on Tuesday.

The house presided over by Speaker Oleyelogun, said the two lawmakers were suspended over alleged unruly behaviour.

However, the suspended deputy speaker said that his suspension was not a surprise to him because “I know that some men are born without integrity, conscience. On no account should I do anything contrary to my conscience and contrary to integrity and posterity.”

Noting that the speaker after his refusal to sign the impeachment notice allegedly asked him not to come to the plenary today (Wednesday), Ogundeji said he came only for the members of the house to suspend him without any allegation levelled against him.

READ ALSO: Armed policemen takeover Ondo Assembly as impeachment plot thickens

“He told me not to come to the plenary and gave security agents directive not to allow me to enter the plenary but I told him nothing of such will happen. I’m duly elected by my people to represent them and whatever I say it is the voice of the people that elected me.

“I immediately called the commissioner of police to inform him.

“Unfortunately, he did carry out his threat against me without any allegation levelled against me, without trial and defence. So, he is just doing the bidding of the executive.”

The suspended deputy speaker called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently give the “legislative assembly in the whole nation financial autonomy so that the legislative arm of government in Nigeria will get out of the bondage of the governors.

“So that we will not be an appendage and tutelage in the hand of any governor and so that will not be a stooge and will be able to do things according to the law and according to the constitution of the country and what the people that elected us want us to do at any time.

“So, the war has just started.”

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