Impeachment: Ondo Assembly Makes Crucial Decision Over Gov Akeredolu’s Deputy
- The Ondo State Assembly will no longer push to set up a panel to suspend the state's deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa
- Aiyedatiwa has been accused of gross misconduct during the absence of his principal, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu
- The state parliament said it would not be proceeding with Aiyedatiwa's suspension due to the court order binding on them and the intervention of APC leadership
Akure, Ondo - The legislative arm of the Ondo State government has suspended its planned impeachment proceedings of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
The intervention led by Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the head of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has yielded positive results as a reconciliation committee was established to resolve an ongoing crisis peacefully.
Source: Facebook
APC leadership intervention
Following a two-hour closed-door meeting at the APC's National Secretariat in Abuja, the national chairman and the State House of Assembly Speaker announced the suspension of the impeachment process.
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This meeting on Tuesday, October 17, was attended by members of the party's National Working Committee (NWC), the 9-member Reconciliation Committee led by Aminu Bello Masari, the state party chairman Ade Adetimilehin, and 18 out of the 22 APC lawmakers, led by Speaker Oladeji Olamide.
Speaker Oladeji Olamide acknowledged that the lawmakers were in Abuja at the request of National Chairman Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and the reconciliation committee. He expressed the State House of Assembly's readiness to cooperate with the party as a branch of government.
Addressing newsmen after the meeting, the Chairman of the reconciliation committee and former governor of Kastina, Masari, said:
"For now, the probe and impeachment process have been suspended to allow room for the committee to work. We met with all stakeholders, except for the governor who we are still making effort to see."
Acknowledging that the legislators were present in Abuja at the request of the National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and the reconciliation committee, the Speaker of the state assembly, Oladeji Olamide, stated that the State House of Assembly is prepared to collaborate as a government entity with the political party.
He said:
"We promised to work with the national chairman and the chairman of the reconciliation committee to find a lasting solution to the political crisis in Ondo State."
Expressing gratitude to all those involved in the conflict for permitting a political resolution to the state's deadlock, the national chairman, Ganduje, remarked that the lawmakers' choice to stop hostilities demonstrates their democratic values and dedication as loyal party members.
How court blocked Ondo parliament from suspending deputy governor
It would be recalled that Justice Odusola minuted to the state parliament earlier in the week about its inability to set up a panel.
Justice Odusola referenced the subsisting court’s ex parte order restraining him from carrying out the directive of the Assembly, Punch reported.
Confirming this development, a source in the state parliament said:
“The CJ has reached out to Mr. Speaker that he cannot set up a 7-member panel to probe the deputy governor as directed by the House, claiming that his hands are tied by the ex parte order issued by Justice Emeka Nwite, stopping the impeachment process.”
Ondo: Parliament’s plot to impeach Akeredolu’s deputy heightens as group calls for cautions
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Parliament has been urged to maintain the rule of law amid plots to impeach Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Aiyedatiwa has been in a heated feud with his principal, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who recently returned from his medical leave after a brief illness.
An attempt has been made to impeach Aiyedatiwa, but a federal high court order blocked the purported move.
Source: Legit.ng
