Mimiko, Osinbajo Hold Closed Door Meeting

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo on Tuesday in Abuja met with the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo and invited him to inaugurate some projects in Ondo state.

Answering questions from State House correspondents after the meeting, which was held behind closed doors, Mr. Mimiko disclosed that he briefed Osinbajo on what his administration was doing to exit.

Mr. Mimiko’s second 4-year tenure as governor of Ondo will expire on February 24.

The governor said that the ongoing crisis in the Ondo State House of Assembly was not part of the issues discussed during the meeting.

The Ondo State House of Assembly had been engulfed in leadership crisis between factions leading to the sealing of the Assembly’s complex by the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

The crisis followed the suspension of the embattled Speaker of the State’s House of Assembly, Jumoke Akindele, by a faction of lawmakers for alleged fraud.

Ms. Akindele enjoys the support of 12 other lawmakers who are loyalists of Mimiko.

The crisis took a twist as some protesters attacked the convoy of Mr. Mimiko when he attempted to present 2017 budget proposal to the assembly.

The hoodlums were reported to have smashed the side screens of two vehicles in the governor’s convoy.

It took the timely intervention of police officers to disperse the protesters, some of whom were also injured in the pandemonium that ensued.

Following the protest, Mr. Mimiko reportedly shifted the budget presentation to another day.

The governor, however, told the State House correspondents that the crisis would soon be resolved following the intervention of stakeholders in the state.

“The matter is being looked into. It’s an internal matter within the house and I think some elders, statesmen and leaders in the state are looking at how they can help them to get over the crisis.

“I don’t think it is directly related to budget presentation. There is nothing sacrosanct about the method of presenting budget if you know what I am talking about.

“I think it’s just about changing leadership structure in the house and all of that.

“The governor now is from the northern central district and the deputy governor is from the southern central district and then, the speaker is from the south.

“There are those who feel that she should step aside so that they can get someone from the central senatorial district. I think that has been sorted out,” he added.

Mr. Mimiko expressed the readiness of the “sitting speaker’’ of the assembly to step aside for peace to reign in the assembly.

He said: “The sitting speaker now has made it abundantly clear that she is ready to step aside, she is ready to resign her position.

“But the group that purportedly impeached her, not even a simple majority can impeach the speaker, it has to be two thirds.

“That is to tell you about the fact that 13 out of 26 members of the house don’t have constitutional or legal empowerment to impeach the speaker.

“But as I speak with you now, she is ready to step aside any time once the house is properly constituted.”

(NAN)