Ondo Speaker Blames Impeachment Plot on Lawmakers’ Rift With Gov Aiyedatiwa

Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, has said the move by some lawmakers to impeach him is driven by their grievances against Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, rather than any wrongdoing on his part.

Oladiji described the impeachment attempt as a “misplaced priority,” insisting that the Assembly would not be distracted from amending and passing the reordered 2025 Appropriation Act.

His reaction followed a vote of confidence passed in his leadership by 14 lawmakers, reinforcing his position amid rising tensions.

Twelve of the 26 lawmakers had earlier passed a vote of no confidence in the Speaker, accusing him of gross misconduct and misappropriation of Assembly funds.

The crisis erupted after the lawmakers staged a walkout to protest Aiyedatiwa’s N531 billion supplementary budget. They accused Oladiji of attempting to fast-track the bill’s passage despite what they described as the poor performance of the 2025 budget with less than two months left in the fiscal year.

Flanked by Deputy Speaker Olalade Gbegudu; Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi; and Olawumi Fayemi-Obayelu (Ilaje 2), Oladiji warned that failure to amend the budget—as pushed by the aggrieved lawmakers—would cripple the Aiyedatiwa administration.

He stressed that the Assembly would continue to carry out its constitutional duties without being drawn into needless political battles ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“We believe that whatever requests or demands we have from His Excellency or the executive should not be tied to our legislative assignments, which include the reordering—what we call the supplementary budget,” Oladiji said.