Ondo Assembly Speaker Dismisses Impeachment Plot as Blackmail
The Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, has firmly dismissed an alleged plot by some members to impeach him, labelling the move a distraction and a case of misplaced priority. This declaration was made on 15 November 2025 during a press briefing in Akure, where the Speaker was flanked by key allies.
Vote of Confidence Amidst Deepening Crisis
The political drama unfolded as 14 lawmakers declared their support for Speaker Oladiji and passed a vote of confidence in his leadership. This show of support came as a direct response to an earlier vote of no-confidence passed by 12 of the 26 lawmakers in the assembly. The dissenting members had accused Oladiji of gross misconduct and the misappropriation of Assembly funds.
The crisis reached a new peak when some lawmakers staged a walkout to protest Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa's N531 billion supplementary budget. The protesting legislators accused the Speaker of attempting to rush the bill through the house. They justified their action by pointing to the poor performance of the 2025 budget, with less than two months remaining in the fiscal year.
Speaker Insists on Constitutional Duty
Addressing journalists, Speaker Oladiji stated that the Assembly would not be distracted from its duty to amend and pass the reordered 2025 Appropriation Act. He issued a stern warning that failure to attend to this amendment, an action ironically backed by the aggrieved lawmakers, would cripple the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
"We have a standing order in the House, including how we relate with the Executive," Oladiji stated. "These honourable members who passed a vote of no confidence on me have not been attending plenary. As I speak, most of them are outside the country."
He clarified that the lawmakers' grievances were tied to personal demands from the Governor. "Our position is that if we have requests, we should not tie them to our legislative duties, especially the supplementary (re-ordered) budget," Oladiji explained. "But they believe the passage of the budget should be used to press home their demands. Fourteen of us disagreed."
He further clarified that the Assembly was considering a budget reordering, not strictly a supplementary budget, and maintained that the 14 supportive lawmakers remain united and have the governor's backing. "What we are doing is not personal," he concluded, insisting the Assembly would focus on its constitutional duties and avoid premature political battles ahead of the 2027 general elections.
