A civic group, the Ondo State Concerned Youth for Good Governance, has lodged a formal petition with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), demanding an investigation into top officials of the Ondo State House of Assembly over the alleged forgery and fraudulent alteration of the N70 billion 2025 budget of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC). The petition, addressed to the EFCC’s Ekiti Zonal Directorate, names Speaker Olamide Oladiji, Deputy Speaker Ololade Gbegudu and the Clerk of the House, Benjamin Jayeola, as those allegedly involved.
According to the petition, the Assembly leadership conspired to produce a House resolution used to amend portions of the OSOPADEC budget without the approval of lawmakers. The disputed resolution is dated 11 December 2025 and was presented as an official decision of the House, despite the absence of a properly convened plenary session where members could debate and approve the proposed changes. The petitioners alleged that signatures on the document were forged and urged the anti-graft agency to investigate whether the manipulation resulted in the diversion or unlawful appropriation of public funds.
Petition Alleges Forgery and Unlawful Appropriation
The group argued that any alteration to the commission’s budget should have followed established legislative procedures, requiring debate and approval during plenary. It insisted that no such sitting took place and that the leadership acted unilaterally. In a strongly worded passage of the petition, the group asserted: “Gleaning from the above grounds, it is crystal clear that the trio of the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, the Deputy Speaker and the Clerk jointly and severally conspired to forge the signatures of the Honourable members and fraudulently manipulated the institution of the Ondo State House of Assembly to pass a fraudulent resolution wherein a huge amount of money to the tune of N70,000,000,000 was appropriated without the approval of the House.”
The petition adds a new twist to a leadership crisis that has rocked the Assembly for months and paralysed legislative activities in the state. It comes barely days after 21 of the 26 lawmakers moved to remove Mr Oladiji over separate allegations involving the handling of OSOPADEC funds. The lawmakers accused the Speaker of corruption and mismanagement, and the House subsequently suspended Monday’s plenary indefinitely pending a leadership change.
Leadership Crisis Intensifies
The latest petition further entrenches allegations first raised by Ondo lawmaker Olawumi Fayemi-Obayelu, who accused the Speaker of forging a House resolution to alter the multi-billion-naira OSOPADEC budget. In earlier reports, Ms Fayemi-Obayelu maintained that the Assembly never sat on the date indicated in the disputed resolution, and that attendance records and legislative proceedings would show that lawmakers neither debated nor approved the budget adjustments attributed to the House. She also alleged that lawmakers representing oil-producing communities were excluded from legislative oversight of the commission despite occupying relevant committee positions.
The pressure on Mr Oladiji intensified last week when 21 lawmakers demanded his resignation over a separate N44 million released for the reordering of the 2026 OSOPADEC budget. The lawmakers insisted that the Speaker had lost the confidence of the majority of members and vowed to proceed with impeachment if he refused to step aside, despite reported intervention by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa. The crisis has thrown the Assembly into turmoil, with legislative business stalled and state governance severely affected.
Speaker Denies Wrongdoing
However, Mr Oladiji has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He described the claims that he manipulated the OSOPADEC budget and mismanaged Assembly funds as false, malicious and politically motivated. In his response, he asserted that “honourable members autonomously manage, determine and agree upon their internal welfare and resource allocations without interference from the Speaker’s office.” He insisted there was no leadership crisis in the Assembly and maintained that its financial processes complied with legislative procedures.
OSOPADEC Distances Itself
Meanwhile, OSOPADEC has distanced itself from the controversy, stating it had no role in the internal affairs of the House of Assembly. The commission maintained that its engagements with the legislature followed due administrative procedures and cautioned against linking it to the allegations surrounding the disputed budget resolution. The commission’s reaction suggests that the embattled Assembly leadership will not receive cover from the agency at the center of the dispute.
The development underscores the deepening fight over control of the oil-rich commission’s finances, with both the leadership of the Assembly and the protesting lawmakers vying for oversight authority. The petition, if acted upon by the EFCC, could lead to a full-scale investigation into the budget alteration and the conduct of the named officials, potentially altering the balance of power in the Ondo State legislature. For now, the Speaker and his colleagues face an uncertain future as the crisis continues to deepen.
