Lawmakers in the Ondo State House of Assembly have suspended moves to impeach Speaker Olamide Oladiji, pending guidance from the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Speaker has been under pressure from fellow lawmakers over allegations of financial misconduct and dissatisfaction with his leadership style.
Reports indicate that 21 of the Assembly’s 26 lawmakers signed an impeachment notice, giving Oladiji until Sunday, August 2, to step down. However, the deadline expired without any formal impeachment proceedings.
Speaking with journalists on Wednesday, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Ifabiyi, said the impeachment process had only been paused, not abandoned.
According to him, lawmakers are awaiting the APC leadership’s directive before deciding on the next course of action.
Ifabiyi noted that since all 26 lawmakers were elected on the APC platform, the dispute is an internal party matter that requires the intervention of the party leadership.
He, however, warned against any attempt to shield the Speaker at the expense of the majority of lawmakers, insisting that members remain committed to changing the Assembly’s leadership.
The lawmaker also clarified that while the executive arm of government has no constitutional role in legislative affairs, the APC has every right to mediate the crisis within its ranks.
On the Assembly’s activities, Ifabiyi said lawmakers reconvened in response to public concerns over the prolonged absence of plenary sittings, adding that the House has since adopted key development resolutions and established an audit committee to review its financial and administrative records.