As Leadership Crisis Rocks Ondo Assembly…

Fidelis David reports that a deepening crisis in the Ondo State House of Assembly has exposed cracks within the state’s political establishment, with far-reaching implications for governance, legislative independence and the ruling All Progressives Congress as the 2027 elections draw closer.

For a state that only recently celebrated a relatively peaceful governorship election, Ondo has suddenly found itself confronting a different political battle, one being fought not on campaign grounds but within the hallowed chambers of the State House of Assembly.

What began last week as allegations surrounding the handling of an alleged N44 million released by the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) has snowballed into perhaps the gravest leadership crisis to confront the 10th Assembly since its inauguration.

At the centre of the storm is the Speaker of the House, Hon Olamide Oladiji, who has come under intense scrutiny over allegations of financial impropriety, lack of transparency and poor leadership. More specifically, some lawmakers accused him of failing to carry members along in the disbursement of the funds, a development that has fuelled growing discontent within the legislature.

The crisis, according to sources within the Assembly, is not limited to the office of the Speaker. It is also believed to have implications for the Deputy Speaker, Hon Ololade Gbegudu, while the Clerk of the House, Benjamin Jaiyeola, may equally be affected through a possible redeployment as part of efforts to restore stability.

One of the sources claimed that the Speaker had contemplated resigning last Monday ahead of a possible discussion of the matter during Tuesday’s plenary but was prevailed upon to shelve the decision.

“The Speaker contemplated resigning but did not go ahead with it. The issue is connected to an alleged N44 million involving funds released by OSOPADEC to the Assembly. The money was meant for the entire House, but there are allegations that the Speaker did not carry other lawmakers along in handling the funds,” the source alleged.

Another source attributed the Speaker’s decision to remain in office to the intervention of a prominent political figure in the state. “The Speaker wanted to resign today but did not eventually do so because of political intervention. We will see what happens tomorrow,” the source added.

However, Oladiji has dismissed the allegations in their entirety. In a statement, he described reports of an impending resignation, leadership crisis and alleged mismanagement of OSOPADEC funds as “sensationalised, malicious and entirely fabricated.”

“We state unequivocally, without an atom of ambiguity, that Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji never contemplated resigning, nor is there any leadership crisis within the 10th Ondo State House of Assembly. The report is a total figment of the imagination of its authors and their nameless sources,” the statement read.

The Speaker further maintained that lawmakers independently determine and manage their welfare and resource allocations, insisting that he only receives what is constitutionally due to his office. It added that claims he sidelined members in the handling of the alleged N44 million OSOPADEC fund were “a manufactured lie designed to create artificial disaffection where none exists.”

Speaking with newsmen, Oladiji also denied claims that 21 lawmakers had demanded his resignation. “I’m not aware of that,” he said. He equally dismissed allegations linking him to an alleged assassination plot against a fellow lawmaker.

“I’m a law-abiding citizen. I’m a Christian; I don’t believe in all that. Let her come up with evidence to confirm such allegations,” he stated.

But even as the Speaker sought to calm the growing controversy, the crisis assumed another dimension after the member representing Ilaje Constituency II, Olawumi Fayemi-Obayelu, alleged in a Facebook post that she narrowly escaped death following threats aimed at stopping what she described as her investigation into alleged bribery, forgery and corruption involving the Speaker and OSOPADEC.

The lawmaker accused the Speaker of attempting to intimidate her and reaffirmed what she described as the position of two-thirds of the House, urging him to resign or “face the consequences” of his actions. She also alleged that funds meant for her constituency were being diverted, insisting she would not be intimidated.

Rather than easing tension, the controversy has since widened into allegations of executive interference. Chairman of the House Committee on Information and spokesperson of the Assembly, Hon. Olatunji Fabiyi, alleged that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had been making efforts to persuade lawmakers to abandon the impeachment process against the Speaker.

Fabiyi claimed that 21 of the 26 lawmakers had already endorsed Oladiji’s removal and insisted there was no going back on what he described as the collective decision of the House.

The spokesperson said the lawmakers had resolved not to hold plenary until a new speaker is elected. “We have resolved not to hold plenary until there is a change of Speaker.

“We still have seven days to go because I have the opinion that the government is calling some members that they should backpedal on the issue of impeachment,” Fabiyi said.

He questioned what he described as Governor Aiyedatiwa’s interest in the matter, insisting that the impeachment move was purely an internal affair of the legislature.

“Twenty-one members have signed an impeachment against Mr. Speaker. To me, I don’t know the interest of Mr. Governor. Unless the government is telling us that they have something in common,” he stated.

According to Fabiyi, lawmakers had already informed the governor that their grievances were directed solely at the leadership of the Assembly and not at his administration.

“I have spoken to Mr. Governor already and we have made it very clear to him that we don’t have anything against him. We simply don’t want our leadership again. There is no reason why somebody should continue to perpetrate himself over us when we don’t want him anymore,” he added.

The lawmaker further argued that leadership changes within the legislature fall squarely within the constitutional powers of the House and urged the governor to refrain from interfering. “It is exclusively a private affair of the House. It is not an executive affair. If there is no hidden agenda, I see no reason why Mr. Governor should be protecting one Speaker. And if there is a hidden agenda, let him say it to the whole world now,” he declared.

Fabiyi maintained that allowing the impeachment process to run its constitutional course would restore peace to the Assembly. “Mr. Governor should just allow peace to reign in the House by allowing Mr. Speaker to step aside. It is the resolution of the whole House that Mr. Speaker should go. No going back.”

He also disclosed that lawmakers initially believed the governor requested seven days to intervene but later realised the appeal was for a 14-day window. “At the initial stage, we thought it was seven days that Mr. Governor requested from us, but it is clear to us that he begged for 14 days, not seven days. The 14 days will last till next Sunday,” Fabiyi added.

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the crisis is not the impeachment threat itself but the allegation that legislative activities have virtually ground to a halt.

Lawmakers claim the Assembly has held only four plenary sittings in the last seven months. Should that allegation prove accurate, it would inevitably raise serious questions about compliance with Section 104 of the 1999 Constitution, which requires every State House of Assembly to sit for not less than 181 days in a legislative year. More importantly, it raises concerns about whether the Assembly is adequately performing its constitutional responsibilities of lawmaking, oversight and representation at a time when the state faces pressing economic and security challenges.

It is pertinent to state that beyond the immediate battle for the Speakership, the unfolding crisis carries significant political implications for the ruling APC ahead of the 2027 general elections. Internal wrangling within the legislature could deepen divisions within the party, weaken public confidence in its leadership and provide opposition parties with fresh political ammunition.

 A prolonged impasse may also strain the relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government, slowing policy implementation and undermining governance at a period when citizens expect greater attention to infrastructure, security, healthcare and economic development.

However, a political analyst, Kehinde Ogunkorode, believes the crisis presents an opportunity for the APC leadership to demonstrate its capacity for internal conflict resolution.

“Rather than allowing the disagreement to degenerate into a prolonged institutional crisis, the party must encourage dialogue, transparency and strict adherence to constitutional procedures. Any perception of undue interference from outside the legislature, could further inflame tensions and erode public trust in democratic institutions.”

He noted that the biggest losers in any prolonged legislative crisis are not the politicians but the people of Ondo State.

“Every day consumed by political infighting is a day lost in debating bills, scrutinising government spending and addressing the pressing needs of constituents. The Assembly exists to serve the people, not to become an arena for endless power struggles.

“How the Assembly and the APC manage this crisis may ultimately shape not only the future of the 10th Assembly but also the political fortunes of the ruling party in Ondo State as the countdown to the 2027 elections gathers momentum”, he added.

Even as the political standoff persisted, the crisis took another dramatic turn on Wednesday when lawmakers convened a parliamentary meeting at the Assembly Complex in Akure and announced the constitution of a four-member panel to investigate and audit the Assembly’s accounts, including the Speaker’s alleged role in the management of its finances.

Significantly, Speaker Oladiji and his deputy, Hon. Ololade Gbegudu, were absent from the meeting, while the Majority Leader, Hon. Olatunji Oshati, presided over proceedings.

Briefing reporters after the session, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon. Olatunji Ifabiyi, said the decision to constitute the probe panel underscored the lawmakers’ commitment to transparency and accountability.

He explained that members were compelled to reconvene after weeks of inactivity in order to resume their constitutional responsibilities of lawmaking and oversight.

Ifabiyi also dismissed claims that lawmakers had accepted inducements to abandon the impeachment process against the Speaker, insisting that no member had compromised. He maintained that the impeachment move remained alive but had been temporarily suspended to allow the leadership of the All Progressives Congress mediate in the dispute.