The Ondo State House of Assembly Speaker, Olamide Oladiji, has alleged that lawmakers who failed to secure the All Progressives Congress (APC) tickets for the 2027 election are behind moves to remove him from office.
Oladiji is facing an impeachment threat following allegations that he diverted N44 million released by the Ondo State Oil-Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).
Twenty-one of the 26 lawmakers in the assembly reportedly signed an impeachment notice, accusing the speaker of financial mismanagement and failing to involve members in the disbursement of funds meant for the reordering of the OSOPADEC 2026 budget.
The lawmakers have also maintained that plenary will not resume until Oladiji either resigns or is impeached.
Impeachment Plot is Politically Motivated
Speaking on Wednesday, Oladiji dismissed the allegations against him, saying the campaign to remove him was driven by politics rather than any wrongdoing.
According to him, some lawmakers are opposed to the possibility of his returning as speaker if he wins re-election in 2027.
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He added that they believe Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa still supports his return to the position.
“They don’t want me to come back as speaker in 2027. That is just the major issue,” he said.
Oladiji questioned why the accusations surfaced after the APC concluded its primary elections.
“We are all politicians and we know all these complaints they are giving. Have they been giving them in the past three years? Why now during the electioneering period?” he asked.
The speaker said the assembly had remained peaceful throughout his three years in office until the current political disagreement.
He added that leaders of the APC and other stakeholders had stepped in to resolve the crisis.
“We are distinguished colleagues, and we have a way of settling our issues. We have the leader of the party in the APC trying to wade in, and we are working towards resolving the matter. By the grace of God, in another one week it will become a thing of the past,” he said.
Lawmakers Reject Speaker’s Claims
However, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Fabiyi, dismissed Oladiji’s claims, insisting that the impeachment move has no connection with the APC primaries or lawmakers who lost their tickets.
Fabiyi said the decision to seek the speaker’s removal was based on alleged misconduct, abuse of office and constitutional violations.
“He said some of us didn’t get return tickets. We thank him for reminding us of that, but we have been watching him all along while he carried on with his shenanigans,” he said.
“This is not about tickets. The speaker does not have the power to give anybody a ticket. The fact remains that some of us who are here are not fighting him because of tickets. He doesn’t have the power to give us tickets.”
He further accused Oladiji of issuing a resolution approving the reordering of the state’s budget without the consent of the assembly.
“Is it the issue of tickets that made him forge the resolution of the whole house? The budget is an appropriation over which the house has constitutional responsibility,” he alleged.
“The speaker, alongside his deputy, turned himself into the alpha and omega, sidelined other lawmakers and went ahead to issue a resolution claiming the house had approved budget reordering. Is that not fraud?” he queried.
Fabiyi also rejected the speaker’s claim that external political interests were behind the crisis, alleging that Oladiji had earlier accused the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of sponsoring the lawmakers opposed to him.
“When we first raised issues against him, he told the governor that BTO was sponsoring us. Now he is saying it is because some of us lost our tickets. Those are mere excuses,” he said.
Reaffirming the lawmakers’ position, Fabiyi said they would not back down from their demand for the speaker’s removal.
“Our resolution still stands that Oladiji must go. Anybody backing him at this stage should be asked what he is benefiting from the house. Whoever is supporting him is an accomplice,” he added.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.