Crisis Erupts In Osun Assembly Over Alleged Financial Misappropriation By Speaker

The alleged planned impeachment of Osun State House of Assembly Speaker, Timothy Owoeye, over alleged financial misdemeanor and high-handedness is raising dust in the legislative chamber.

This move, it was gathered has divided members of the house as over ten out of them have signed the impeachment process as of the time of filing this report.

It was reliably gathered that the crisis started brewing last year when Owoeye started hobnobbing with Governor Ademola Adeleke elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and trying to ingratiate the house, dominated by the All Progressives Congress(APC) lawmakers, with the governor.

The lawmakers, who are about 15 in number, alleged that Owoeye did not disclose that the Governor gave them any cash gift, just as the Speaker did not give them reasonable amount of money for the festive period.

According to the parliamentarians, each of them was given a bag of rice and a sum of N250,000 as Christmas gift by the Speaker.

It was learnt that some of the lawmakers who are close to Adeleke got to know about the N40m Christmas gift when the assembly resumed this year, a development that sparked protests from other legislators.

A source told New Telegraph that, “ In December 2022, Adeleke gave the house, through the Speaker, welfare package for Christmas celebration but what was passed and shared to the lawmakers did not correspond with what was given to the speaker.

“The lawmakers were given one bag of rice and one chicken with N250,000 each. The members got to know what the Speaker got from Adeleke through a minority member of the house and it stired crisis. They were mulling his removal last year but it was quashed by the intervention of former governor, Adegboyega Oyetola.

“Meanwhile, the lawmakers of APC got know again later in January 2023 that the Speaker has been romancing Adeleke and negotiating with the governor so that he can come back to the house during the forthcoming election.

” The information has further infuriated the house having the knowledge that Owoeye is adjourning the sitting of the house for a very long time as the sitting was adjourned since 2022 till February 2023.”

“Well, some persons told us the Speaker used a substantial part of the money to buy food items as present for staffers of the Assembly during the festive season.

“But that ought to have been done with member’s consent. We are still on the matter and we will get to the root,” the lawmaker said.

However, members amid the planned impeachment of the speaker, reconvened on Thursday at Osun State House of Assembly complex to deliberate over the crisis.

It was gathered that the lawmakers held a close door meeting at an hotel to plan the impeachment process.

A credible source who was privy to the meeting disclosed that 12 offences were leveled against Owoeye among which were financial impropriety and shady dealings.

The source said out of the 26 lawmakers, ten of them had signed the impeachment process including four PDP lawmakers and six APC lawmakers.

However, the Speaker’s spokesperson, Kunle Alabi, disclosed that there was no infighting among the lawmakers, saying whatever the lawmaker got for welfare is their legitimate earnings.

“As far as Osun State House of Assembly is concerned, we remain one irrespective of whatever change in government.

“There was no need for money creating any division. Whatever the House got was its legitimate earning,” he said.

Osun defender