Factional Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Malachi Coker, has confirmed that the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris, has ordered that the assembly complex be sealed indefinitely as a result of the leadership crisis among the state lawmakers.

Coker told newsmen in Akure on Monday that following the police action, the assembly has no other choice than to adjourn its sitting indefinitely.

A faction of 13 members out of the 26-member Ondo assembly had on January 27, purportedly impeached the Speaker, Jumoke Akindele, and other principal officers of the House over alleged N15 million fraud.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the money was allegedly found with Makanjuola Adesina, the Pay Master of the assembly, who said that the speaker had directed him to withdraw it for a project which he refused to disclose.

Addressing journalists on Monday, the purported acting Speaker said: “For now, the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, has directed that the Assembly should be locked.

“On Friday, Feb, 3, the police brought a warrant that the Assembly should be locked indefinitely and that was after the House had adjourned its sitting at a plenary held on Thursday, February 2.

“We hope the police will not be bias in their actions by allowing the impeached Speaker’s faction to have access into the Assembly,” he said.

The Former Speaker, Akindele had earlier told the press that the purported impeachment was not valid as 13 members cannot impeach any office holder in the assembly.

She noted that only a two-third majority, which is a minimum of 18 members, can validly conduct an impeachment.

But Coker said on Monday that 20 out of the 26 members of the Assembly have already signed the impeachment notice.

“For clarification, it takes 18 members to sign the impeachment notice, while 10 members can sit in the Assembly to pronounce it and this time around 20 members signed the impeachment notice.

“About seven members backed out after they had signed the impeachment notice following pressure from the power that be.

“We all plan the impeachment together, but as human beings, some claimed they were not in the Assembly when the impeachment was to be carried out,” the acting speaker said.

This claim could not be verified as at the time of filing this report.