Barely 24hrs & After Marathon Meeting Gov Segun Mimiko, Ondo Assembly Members Reverses Speaker Jumoke Akindele’s Impeachment

Information filtering in have it that

Barely 24 hours after the impeachment of the Speaker of the Ondo state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Jumoke Akindele, and the Deputy Speaker, Fatai Olotu, members of the House of Assembly on Wednesday made a dramatic U – turn by rescinding their decision.

About 18 members out of the 26 on Tuesday night impeached the Speaker and the Deputy, citing incompetence, arrogance, high handedness and poor leadership as reasons for the impeachment of Akindele.

The lawmakers stated in the impeachment notice that ” Consequent upon the incompetence, high handedness, drunkenness, easy virtues, lack of focus and lack of transparency, arrogance and poor leadership, we the undersigned elected Honourable Gov Segun Mimiko

members move for the impeachment of Mr. Speaker and all the principal officer in Ondo state House of Assembly with immediate effect”

Subsequently, the impeachment, the lawmakers elected Hon. Iroju Ogundeji from Odigbo local government as Speaker and Hon. Ayo Arowele from Owo local government as the Deputy Speaker for the state Assembly

However, the lawmakers after meeting with the state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko for about five hours reversed their decision saying the Speaker should remain.

It was gathered that it took the intervention of Governor Mimiko for the lawmakers to reverse their decision, while the governor pleaded with the lawmakers to give the Speaker and other principal officers second chance.

Addressing journalists on the development, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon. Olamide George said members of the a house have resolved to allow the status quo Ante of the leadership of the House to remain.

George described the last Tuesday impeachment of the Speaker as a family as family affair which members and the leadership of the House have resolved amicably saying the issue of the House should be seen as an internal affairs.

He said ” On Tuesday, size able number of Ondo state House of Assembly met on some burning issue, touching on the leadership of the House.

“Before Plenary today, Wednesday 9th March, 2016, members, at a larger and official gathering met to review the situation and consequently resolved to allow the status quo Ante on the leadership of Ondo State House of Assembly as at 7th March 2016 to remain.”

George who said there was no crisis within the house said the house remain focus and will keep working for the development of the state and its people.

“The House of Assembly remains United, cohesive and alive to its constitutional responsibilities.

“The issue of leadership of the House is an internal affairs and has been treated as such” he said.

Heavy presence of policemen were however noticed at the House of Assembly complex with Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) stationed at the entrance of the Assembly while normal activities at the complex were not hindered by the rumor of the Speaker’s impeachment.

Effort to speak with the embattled Speaker to comment on the development was no successful.

tribune