THE Oyo State House of Assembly has impeached the Deputy Governor Rauf Olaniyan.
Olaniyan was impeached during the plenary on Monday.
The House found him guilty of all the allegations proffered against him after considering the report of a seven-man panel constituted by the state Chief Judge, Justice Munta Abimbola.
READ ALSO:
Oyo House of Assembly approves Bayo Lawal as new Deputy Governor
INEC created additional 1,607 polling units in Oyo – REC
The panel’s report was read by the House Majority Leader Sanjo Adedoyin during the plenary.
The House pronounced the deputy governor’s impeachment after considering the panel’s recommendations.
Last Thursday, the panel was constituted by the Oyo State Chief Judge to investigate the allegations against Olaniyan.
The state assembly started moves to impeach Olaniyan following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The House is dominated by PDP members.
The lawmakers subsequently brought allegations of financial recklessness, gross misconduct and insubordination against him.
Earlier in June, Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan ordered the State House of Assembly to suspend the impeachment moves against the Deputy Governor.
The judge held that the lawmakers should maintain the status quo pending hearing the application for interlocutory injunction.
However, after the lawmakers proceeded with the impeachment, Olaniyan, in an interlocutory injunction filed through his lawyer, Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), asked the court to restrain the Oyo State House of Assembly, the Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin and the Clerk from impeaching him.
But the suit was dismissed by an Oyo State High Court, paving the way for Olaniyan’s impeachment.
Amos Abba is a journalist with the International Center for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, who believes that courageous investigative reporting is the key to social justice and accountability in the society.