No impeachment in Ondo House of Assembly says lawmakers

Leaders of the Ondo State House of Assembly have declared the purported impeachment carried out by some members of the House last Friday as null and void.

The house leaders led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Bamidele Oleyelogun and Deputy Speaker, Hon. Iroju Ogundeji said the group led by Hon. Olamide George perpetrated illegality in their purported impeachment.

Addressing Journalists on Sunday, the Speaker revealed that the purported impeachment did not satisfy the constitutional requirement of the House as signatures collated were not up to 18 which represents the two - third requirement for the impeachment of both Speaker and and Deputy speaker of the House.

According to the speaker, signatures of Hon. Sunday Olajide and Hon. Olusola Oluyede were forged by the other group.

The duo of Hon. Oluyede and Hon. Olajide were present at the press conference, held at the Speaker's official residence in Alagbaka, Akure.

He explained " They claimed to have formed two-third as a condition to impeach the Speaker and the Deputy speaker, whereas they were less in number as Hon. Sunday Olajide and Hon. Olusola Oluyede were not part of the attempted impeachment. "

The Speaker, further disclosed that the essential authorities of the House such as the "Original MACE or Gavel, standing order, book of oath and Proceedings were not honored /follow in the purported impeachment "

He said that serious business were not officially done on Fridays when the purported impeachment was carried out.

The lawmakers said they observed that the impeachment notice only seek to impeach the Deputy speaker as notice published in the national dailies on Sunday, November 11th, 2018 only bears the name of the Deputy speaker.

"It's observed and confirmed that the letter written to the clerk of the House of Assembly on the 9th of November, 2018 was doctored

"Among other irregularities on the doctored letter were : they intended to impeach the Deputy speaker and not the speaker but failed again. You can check the conclusion of their letter. Hence, the same letter written during a previous attempted impeachment against the Deputy speaker was doctored without the consent or the members. "

The lawmakers also accused the purported Speaker of the House, Hon. Olamide George of misleading the house to cover up an ongoing investigation into his true financial rights from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) where he is currently serving as Vice President.

The House described Hon. George as a fraudulent personality who is currently holding two public offices and being paid for both.

"Their purported speaker on the attempted impeachment, Hon. George Olamide, a fraudulent personality who is currently the Vice President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) doubles as the member of Ondo State House of Assembly and is being paid for both. He misled the House of Assembly about the true information of his financial rights from AFN

"He's not a patriotic Nigeria as he engages in holding two public offices at the same time. Panels had been raised to check out this before he led this attempted impeachment on the 9th of November, 2018. I guess he did this to cover up his misdoings. That's conflict of interest. "

The lawmakers also asked HON. George to stop parading himself as the speaker of the House, adding that the attempted impeachment has been foiled.

"The clerk of the House of Assembly was made to serve them unofficially under duress. Also the attempted impeachment which was already foiled still has Hon. Olamide George parading himself as the speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, which is impersonation.

"It's interesting to mention that the fraudulent group has two majority leaders in person of Hon. Araoyinbo Olugbenga Joseph and Hon. Fajolu Abimbola Olutope. With this, they do not have any Deputy Speaker as against their claims. Check today's National Newspapers.

"All the above are enough evidence to proof to the citizen of Ondo State that these people are not peace loving. They don't care to put the state in problems just for their personal interests. "

The house leadership, however caked on the security operatives in the state to spring into action and investigate and prosecute the members of the House who have been suspended.