Ondo Assembly moves to impeach Akeredolu’s deputy, begins process
By Kunle Osota
The Ondo State House of Assembly has launched impeachment proceedings against the deputy governor of the state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
The initiation of the impeachment process took place on Wednesday during an emergency plenary session convened by the House.
It was gathered that the impeachment proceedings stemmed from allegations of gross misuse of office levelled against the deputy governor.
It was alleged that Aiyedatiwa engaged in activities inconsistent with the responsibilities and expectations of his office.
23 out of the 26 lawmakers in the Assembly had already signed the impeachment notice against Aiyedatiwa.
The number of lawmakers who signed the notice signified that the required two-thirds had been achieved.
Following the development, there was a heavy security presence at the gate of the assembly as well as its premises.
The alleged misconduct, it was gathered, revolved around the approval of N300 million for the purchase of a bulletproof Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) designated for his personal use.
One of the lawmakers, who craved anonymity, disclosed that Aiyedatiwa ordered the N300 million to be sourced from the palliative fund.
The approval was allegedly granted while Akeredolu was recovering in Germany.
During the proceedings, the Majority Leader, Hon Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, cited section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution to support the necessity of addressing the deputy governor regarding the allegations before any action could be taken by the House.
Tope Agbulu, a PDP lawmaker representing Akoko Southwest 2, seconded the motion.
Consequently, the assembly instructed the Clerk of the House, Benjamin Jaiyeola, to draft a letter to Deputy Governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, informing him of the accusations of gross misconduct levelled against him.
