Abiodun, APC Mum After Ogun Speaker’s Impeachment

The Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, as well as the leadership of the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, has remained silent over the sudden impeachment of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, on Tuesday.

Efforts made to get the reaction of both the governor and leadership of the party on Wednesday were not successful.

The Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Lekan Adeniran was not available to reply to enquiries made to him.

Similarly, the chairman of the ruling party in the state, Yemi Sanusi, as well as the party’s Publicity Secretary, Tunde Oladunjoye, did not pick up their calls.

The sacked Speaker himself could not be reached as his mobile line indicated that it was switched off. Oluomo, representing Ifo State Constituency I, was removed on Tuesday by 18 legislators.

He was reportedly at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta attending the swearing-in of customary court judges a few metres away from the Assembly complex when his colleagues moved against him.

Oluomo was immediately replaced by another ranking lawmaker, Oludaisi Elemide, representing the Odeda State constituency.

The new Speaker said the governor had no hand in Oluomo’s removal.

“Eighteen members signed for me to be the Speaker. People should remain calm. We are in the custody of all the authority of the House. We are saying that the new leadership will support the governor.

“The governor does not know anything about this impeachment,” Elemide said.

The APC lawmaker representing Obafemi/Owode, Damilola Soneye, said, “The Speaker was impeached due to gross misconduct which borders on highhandedness, lack of focus and transparency, arrogance and poor leadership style, financial misappropriation and inciting members against themselves.”

Meanwhile, a former Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Dare Kadiri, said on Wednesday that Oluomo’s impeachment vindicated him.

Kadiri, who represented Ijebu North State Constituency II from 2019 to 2023, was removed from office after accusing Oluomo of financial impropriety.

“Everyone knows how Hon Osho and myself were assaulted, disgraced and victimised when Oluomo was Speaker at the Ogun State House of Assembly. But with this latest development, the whole world must have seen what we were saying at that time.

“The allegations upon which he was impeached were almost the same thing with the grounds for my grouse against him then.

“He talks to people anyhow, divides the Assembly, trying to paint some as the governor’s boys while tagging some others as anti-government. These were the things I was shouting against then.

“But people seemed not to understand me or maybe I was the one who wasn’t presenting my case well but thank God we all can understand now.

“The same maltreatment I faced, is the same thing the current Deputy Speaker is facing. So going by what has happened, I have been vindicated and yesterday was one of my happiest days on earth.

“I couldn’t sleep; there were different calls from different quarters, some even apologised to me yesterday that they misunderstood me.

“This is a victory for all of us in Ogun State and our democracy. We just have to salvage our country; corruption cannot just continue to thrive in our system and while we expect that development will take place.”