Despite court order, Ondo Assembly vows to continue impeachment process against deputy gov

Despite a court injunction, the Ondo State House of Assembly has vowed to resume impeachment procedures against Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

The lawmakers instructed their attorneys to look into the order obtained by Mr Aiyedatiwa from the Federal High Court in Abuja, which barred the house from advancing with the procedure until the lawsuit filed by the deputy governor was resolved.

The House stated that its conclusion is informed by Section 188(2) (b) of the 1999 Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution (as amended).

The speaker, Olamide Oladiji, in a statement made available to journalists in Akure on Tuesday, said the House served Mr Aiyedatiwa the notice of allegation of gross misconduct on Monday, within seven days after the notice was presented to him (Mr Oladiji

He said the notice was signed by 11 members of the House, which is more than one-third of the members required under Section 188(2) of the constitution.

“The impeachment notice contains Fourteen (14) specific allegations of gross misconduct with detailed particulars to which the Deputy Governor is expected to react to not later than Seven (7) days from the day he was served,” Mr Oladiji said in the statement.

“Hitherto, the House has refrained from publishing the allegations because of the need to accord the Deputy Governor the courtesy of being served with the notice, first.”

Mr Oladiji said the lawmakrs were shocked when they learnt that the deputy governor had gone to court to secure an injunction from “a certain Judge of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to halt the process.”

“The House is shocked that rather than wait to be served with notice of the allegation of gross misconduct, and react to same as required by the constitution, the deputy governor has been running from pillar to post and filing multiple suits in both at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court and the Ondo State High Courts in a bid to stop the legislative process,” the speaker said.