The crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly is far from over as two factions are presently laying claim to the speakership seat.
A faction of the lawmakers yesterday impeached the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Jumoke Akindele, from Okitipupa State Constituency II over alleged fraud of N15million and elected the lawmaker representing Ilaje constituency I, Hon. Malachi Coker as the acting speaker.
The paymaster of the Assembly, who was alleged to be acting under the instruction of Akindele, was said to have been caught with a “Ghana Must Go” bag loaded with N15million at the Assembly premises.
The Assembly is dominated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with 21 members, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) has five.
Also, the deputy Speaker, Fatai Olu and the Majority leader, Ifedayo Akinsoyinu were not spared with the sledge hammer of the aggrieved lawmakers.
The legislators appointed Hon. Ayodele Arowele, from Owo state constituency I as the Deputy Speaker, while Hon. Olumide George from Akure north was appointed the majority leader.
But the embattled speaker, Akindele denied all the allegations and insisted that she remains the speaker of the of Assembly.
Akindele is very loyal to Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
At a Press conference organised by Coker’s faction in Akure, the state capital on Saturday, the lawmakers, who claimed 20 of them carried out the impeachment process said there is no going back on their decision.
It will be recalled that the same group had sometime last year sacked the same embattled speaker but reversed their decision 24 hours later after Mimiko and some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders intervened in the crisis.
The group also said they have set up a committee headed by Hon. Bamidele Oleyelogun, who is the parliamentary secretary of the Assembly to investigate the alleged fraud levelled against Akindele.
Hon. Ogundeji Iroju, who spoke on behalf of the other rebel lawmakers, said their latest action was because of the alleged loot going on in the Assembly that led to the discovery of N15 million in the hands of the Pay Master of the Assembly.
He said it was when they arrested the Pay Master that an emergency plenary session was conveyed and the leadership was impeached while the Clerk of Assembly, Mr Bode Adeyelu who took part in the session swore in the new leadership.
Iroju asked the governor and security agencies to recognize the new leadership and withdraw the recognition given to the erstwhile leaders of the Assembly.
But Hon. Siji Akindiose dismissed the impeachment as exercise in futility as they need not less than 18 to carry out any lawful change in the leadership.
Akindiose who accused the incoming All Progressives Congress (APC) as being the sponsor of the crisis in the Assembly said some members allowed themselves to be used to destabilize the peace in the Assembly.
His words “to orchestrate such illegality, they blatantly took recourse to the travesty to the known rules and convention of the House.
“Expecting it to stand shows clearly that some people are either power drunk or they are incapable of understanding or appreciating the fine ethos of the rules of the House and the rule of law.
“To even attempt to enforce their ill-advised will on the majority of the House in such a callous manner is a pointer to the kind of leadership style they plan to provide.
“In the course of his duty, a law abiding senior public officer was man-handled, tortured and subjected to a callous dehumanizing treatment.”
Akindiose added that the fund being paraded by the aggrieved lawmakers as proceed of fraud was meant for project and properly appropriated for and approved by the leadership of the House.
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