THERE was a mild drama at the Ogun House of Assembly on Tuesday, January 23, as the Speaker, Olakunle Oluomo, was impeached by 18 of the 26 members of the Assembly.
In a video posted by Arise News, The ICIR observed lawmakers quarrelling and shouting in the house, with one, clad in white attire and a white cap, seen moving around the Speaker’s seat with the mace.
According to the report, Oluomo’s opponent at the last speakership election, Oludaisi Elemide, was subsequently announced as the new Speaker.
Elemide was later seen sitting in the speaker’s seat, with security personnel present at the House.
Elemide is a third-term lawmaker representing Odeda state constituency.
Also, according to reports, the lawmakers noted that the Speaker was removed due to gross misconduct and financial misappropriation, among others.
The ICIR reported that the impeached Speaker, Oluomo, and others, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo, Oladayo Samuel and Adeyanju Amoke (now at large), were arraigned on 11 counts of conspiracy, forgery, stealing and money laundering preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in September 2022.
The EFCC told the court that the defendants committed the alleged offences in Ogun State between 2019 and 2022.
According to the commission, the suspects allegedly stole the sum of N2.47 billion from the treasury of the Ogun State House of Assembly.
However, despite the corruption allegations against him, Oluomo was re-elected as the Speaker in June 2023.
He was re-elected unopposed after about hours of drama and last-minute pressure on his main opponent, Oludaisi Elemide, to quit the race.
Impeachment not targeted at governor – Elemide
Meanwhile, in his inaugural address following the impeachment, the new Speaker, Elemide, clarified that the impeachment was not aimed at the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, contrary to speculations.
He also said that the development fell within the constitutional rights of the members to choose who leads them in the House, urging members to stay calm.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M