Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, has broken his silence on the deepening leadership crisis rocking the legislature, describing the move by 21 lawmakers to remove him as a politically motivated scheme aimed at preventing his return as Speaker in the 2027 elections. Oladiji made the declaration on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, amid mounting pressure from a majority of the 26-member House, who have demanded his resignation or impeachment over allegations of financial misconduct involving approximately N44 million linked to the reordering of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) budget.
The crisis erupted when 21 lawmakers signed an impeachment notice against Oladiji, accusing him of unilaterally approving a House resolution on the OSOPADEC budget reordering without the Assembly's approval. They also alleged that he presided over infrequent legislative sittings, claiming that only four plenary sessions had been held in the past seven months, a situation they said had retarded legislative activities. The aggrieved lawmakers have vowed not to resume plenary until the Speaker steps down, despite several meetings with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to resolve the crisis.
However, Oladiji dismissed the allegations as baseless and politically motivated. In an interview with journalists, he insisted that the agitation against his leadership had nothing to do with the financial misconduct allegations and everything to do with the 2027 elections. "They don't want me to come back as Speaker in 2027. That is the major issue," Oladiji said. "We are all politicians and we know these complaints they are raising. Have they been making these complaints over the past three years? Why now, during the electioneering period?"
The Speaker further alleged that many of those championing the move against him were lawmakers who failed to secure the APC ticket for the 2027 elections and were uncomfortable with the prospect of his re-emergence as Speaker because they believed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa still favoured his return. He maintained that the House had enjoyed relative peace under his leadership over the past three years, with no major internal crisis until the current political disagreements emerged. Oladiji expressed confidence that the dispute would soon be resolved through internal party mechanisms, stating that the leadership of the APC was already intervening. "We have the leader of the party in the APC, and they are trying to intervene. We have a way of settling our issues," he said. "We have been attending a series of meetings and, by the grace of God, in another one week, it will become a thing of the past."
However, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Assembly spokesperson, Hon. Olatunji Fabiyi, rejected the Speaker's claims, insisting that the lawmakers' grievances were based on allegations of misconduct and abuse of office, not political calculations. "He claimed some of us did not get return tickets, but we have been observing his actions for a long time," Fabiyi said. "The issue is not about tickets. The question is whether the Speaker should unilaterally issue a resolution claiming the House approved the OSOPADEC budget reordering without the Assembly's approval." Fabiyi accused Oladiji of forging the resolution of the whole House and acting alongside his deputy as "alpha and omega," sidelining other lawmakers. "The Speaker, alongside his deputy, turned himself into the alpha and omega, sidelined other lawmakers and went ahead to issue a resolution claiming the house had approved budget reordering. Is that not fraud?" he queried.
Fabiyi also rejected the Speaker's claim that external political interests were behind the crisis, alleging that Oladiji had earlier accused the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of sponsoring the lawmakers opposed to him. "When we first raised issues against him, he told the governor that BTO was sponsoring us. Now he is saying it is because some of us lost our tickets. Those are mere excuses," Fabiyi said. Reaffirming the lawmakers' position, Fabiyi insisted their demand for the Speaker's removal remained unchanged. "Our resolution still stands that Oladiji must go. Anybody backing him at this stage should be asked what he is benefiting from the house. Whoever is supporting him is an accomplice," he added.
The Ondo State Government, through the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Aiyedatiwa, Ebenezer Adeniyan, has denied the governor's involvement in the House crisis, stating that the governor's interest lies in maintaining peace, law, and order. OSOPADEC has also distanced itself from the crisis, stating that it is not involved in the internal affairs of the Assembly. The crisis has effectively paralysed legislative activities in Ondo State, with the aggrieved lawmakers insisting that they will not resume plenary until the Speaker resigns or is impeached. The standoff has drawn the attention of APC leaders and other stakeholders, who are reportedly working behind the scenes to resolve the impasse. As the 14-day deadline set by the aggrieved lawmakers approaches, the fate of Speaker Olamide Oladiji hangs in the balance, with both sides digging in and the political atmosphere in Akure growing increasingly tense.
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