Ondo deputy governor files suit to stop his impeachment

The Ondo State Deputy Governor, Mr Agboola Ajayi, has filed a suit to stop the impeachment move against him by the state House of Assembly.

The members of the Assembly on Tuesday had served the deputy governor an impeachment notice following some petitions against him.

There had been calls from different quarters that the deputy governor should quit the government of the All Progressives Congress after he resigned his membership from the party and defected to the Peoples Democratic Party.

In the suit filed by his counsel, Mr I. Olatoke, SAN, the defendants include the House of Assembly, the Inspector General of Police, State Commissioner of Police, Department of State Services and the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr David Oleyeloogun.

However, the Chairman House Committee on Information Mr Gbenga Omole, said, “I am not aware of any suit against the Assembly and you can see the impeachment notice has been served on the deputy governor.”

Meanwhile, there was a disagreement among members of the state Assembly in the House over Ajayi’s impeachment move.

Out of the 26 lawmakers, 14 supported the removal of the deputy governor while nine were against the move.

At the plenary on Tuesday, the Speaker had ordered the Clerk of the House, Mr Bode Adeyelu, to serve the deputy governor an impeachment notice, having been signed by 14 out of 26 lawmakers of the Assembly.

However, the impeachment will have to be carried out by a two-third of 26 members, which is 18.

But the nine anti-impeachment members led by the Deputy Speaker, Mr Iroju  Ogundeyi, said they would not participate in the impeachment and without the required 18 members, the impeachment lawfully would not hold.

A statement by the nine lawmakers read partly, “We hereby bring to the notice of the Clerk and the entire honourable members of the Ondo State House of Assembly and the general public that we do not support the impeachment process and would not want to be associated with it based on personal convictions.”

The nine lawmakers are Iroju Ogundeyi, Jamiu Maito, Rasheed Elegbeleye, Tomide Akinribido and Samuel Edamisan.

Other are Festus Akingbaso, Adewale Williams-Adewinle, Torhukerhijo Success and  Mrs Favour Tomomewo.

But earlier, the Chairman House Committee on Information had said,  “In fact only nine members of the 26 members are needed to sign the impeachment move but the House needs 18 to do the impeachment proper.

“It is a process, we are at the first process when the time comes the required 18 will sign the impeachment.”

Omole added that only a few journalists were allowed into the Assembly chamber in order to follow Covid-19 guidelines.