Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Ondo State House of Assembly has been thrown into a deepening leadership crisis as 21 of its 26 members have signed an impeachment notice against Speaker Olamide Oladiji, accusing him of financial misconduct and unilaterally reordering the N9.2 billion budget of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC). The aggrieved lawmakers have suspended all plenary sessions indefinitely and declared that they will not resume legislative duties until the Speaker resigns or is removed from office. The crisis, which erupted in late July 2026, has also drawn Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa into the fray, with lawmakers accusing the executive of attempting to shield the Speaker from impeachment.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Information and spokesperson for the Assembly, Olatunji Fabiyi, representing Odigbo Constituency 1, confirmed on Monday, July 27, 2026, that 21 members had endorsed the Speaker's removal. Fabiyi insisted that the decision was final and non-negotiable, warning that the Speaker would be impeached if he refused to step down voluntarily. "We have resolved not to hold plenary until there is a change of speaker. For now, there is no development except that Mr Speaker should just give way and allow another person to preside over the Ondo State House of Assembly," Fabiyi told journalists in Akure. He added: "If he doesn't resign, we will impeach him. If he fails to do the needful, we will do the needful."
The crisis stems from allegations that Speaker Oladiji unilaterally reordered the OSOPADEC 2025 budget of N9.2 billion without the approval of the House and mismanaged N44 million released by the commission for budget reordering. The lawmakers further accused the Speaker and his Deputy, Hon. Ololade Gbegudu, of failing to carry other members along in the handling of the funds. According to Fabiyi, the lawmakers became dissatisfied with the Speaker's leadership after discovering that a resolution was written in their names without their knowledge or consent, an act he described as a criminal offence.
The aggrieved lawmakers have also raised concerns over the unilateral reordering of the OSOPADEC budget, which they say was done without legislative approval. The commission, however, has denied any involvement in the crisis. In a statement issued on Saturday, July 25, 2026, OSOPADEC's Director of Media and Corporate Affairs, Godson Ewata, clarified that all interactions between the commission and the Assembly were conducted strictly within constitutional provisions and statutory obligations. The commission threatened legal action against media organisations disseminating false reports linking it to the controversy. "OSOPADEC has absolutely no role in the internal affairs of the Ondo State House of Assembly. The commission would no longer tolerate falsehood, blackmail, character assassination, and malicious propaganda targeted at it," the statement read.
The crisis took a dramatic turn when lawmakers accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of interfering in what they described as an internal legislative affair. Fabiyi alleged that the governor had been reaching out to some lawmakers to persuade them to abandon the impeachment process. "We still have seven days to go because I have the opinion that the government is calling some members that they should backpedal on the issue of impeachment," Fabiyi said. He questioned the governor's special interest in the matter, maintaining that the impeachment move was purely an internal affair of the legislature. "Twenty-one members have signed an impeachment against Mr Speaker. To me, I don't know the interest of Mr Governor. Unless the government is telling us that they have something in common," he stated.
Fabiyi further disclosed that the governor had initially requested a seven-day window for negotiations but later extended it to 14 days following closed-door meetings with the lawmakers. The new deadline is now set to expire on Sunday, August 2, 2026. Despite the governor's intervention, the lawmakers have remained adamant, insisting that the Speaker must go. "I have spoken to Mr Governor already and we have made it very clear to him that we don't have anything against him. We simply don't want our leadership again. There is no reason why somebody should continue to perpetrate himself over us when we don't want him anymore," Fabiyi added.
Governor Aiyedatiwa has, however, denied shielding the Speaker from impeachment. In a statement issued on Monday, July 27, 2026, the governor distanced himself from the plot, insisting that he was only trying to ensure peace in the state. The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, also reiterated the governor's commitment to President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027, dismissing allegations that the executive was meddling in the Assembly's affairs.
Amid the standoff, conflicting accounts emerged over efforts to resolve the crisis. A principal officer of the Assembly, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the state executive convened a peace meeting on Sunday, July 26, involving aggrieved lawmakers and Assembly leaders. According to the lawmaker, the parties agreed not to disclose details of the meeting but insisted the dispute had been resolved internally. However, Fabiyi told reporters that he was unaware of any such meeting and maintained that lawmakers had not shifted their position. He also confirmed that allegations of an assassination attempt on one of the lawmakers had been reported to security agencies for investigation.
Speaker Olamide Oladiji has rejected all allegations, describing them as "sensationalised, malicious, and entirely fabricated." He also denied knowledge of any impeachment notice or leadership crisis in the Assembly. However, his denial has done little to calm the tensions, as the majority of lawmakers remain determined to remove him.
The development has effectively paralysed legislative activities in Ondo State, with plenary sessions suspended indefinitely. The lawmakers have insisted that they will not reconvene until a new Speaker emerges. The crisis comes just days after the Ogun State House of Assembly revisited one of its most controversial decisions by clearing former Speaker Olakunle Oluomo of embezzlement allegations that formed the basis of his removal nearly three years ago, highlighting the fragility of legislative leadership in Nigeria's Southwest.
As the crisis deepens, the Ondo State House of Assembly remains at a standstill, with the fate of Speaker Olamide Oladiji hanging in the balance. The lawmakers have made it clear that they will not back down, and the governor's intervention appears to have only hardened their resolve. With the 14-day deadline set to expire next Sunday, the coming days will be crucial in determining whether the Speaker will resign voluntarily or face an impeachment that could further destabilise the state's political landscape. For now, the Ondo Assembly crisis remains a stark reminder of the tensions that can arise when the executive and legislative arms of government clash over matters of financial accountability and leadership.
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