Police Seal Ondo Assembly over Leadership Crisis

James Sowole in Akure

The leadership crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly monday took a turn for the worse as the state Police Command sealed the assembly complex in Akure after a rowdy session between two factions of the lawmakers.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mrs. Hilda Harrison, ordered the sealing of the complex, which she said was caused by the noise from the assembly chamber, where the two factions wanted to conduct the day’s plenary session with each side claiming leadership.

Tension had been building up over the leadership crisis, following the suspension and subsequent impeachment of the Speaker, Hon Jumoke Akindele; her Deputy, Hon Fatai Olotu, and the Majority Leader, Hon Dayo Akinsoyinu.
Yesterday’s shouting match started when the embattled speaker arrived at the assembly chamber and found the purportedl new Speaker, Hon Malachi Coker, on the speaker’s seat while other members of his faction had taken their position on other seats.

Enraged by the development, Akindele, who arrived later with her faction, challenged Coker that he was not supposed to sit on her seat while the purported new speaker told her that she and the other two principals had been impeached.

The altercation between the two speakers spread to their respective supporters which made the entire complex rowdy and attracted the attention of the Police Commissioner who ordered the sealing of the Assembly premises on the order from the above.

The two factions had been playing a cat and mouse game with each other since last Friday’s purported impeachment over allegation of fraud involving N15 million.

The police commissioner said the assembly would be opened when the warring lawmakers are ready to allow peace reign in the state.

The lawmakers hurriedly left the assembly in groups, while workers were seen returning to their various homes.
Though, the two camps have 13 lawmaker on their sides, the aggrieved camp claimed that three principal officers had been suspended, saying the other side only have 10 members.

After being driven away by the police, the two factions addressed a press conferences separately to state their positions on the matter.

While the Akindele’s camp addressed journalists at the resident of her deputy, Hon. Fatai Olotu, the Coker’s team addressed journalists at a popular hotel in Akure, the state capital.
Hon. Ogundeji Iroju and the acting Majority leader of the assembly, Hon. George Olumide, who addressed journalists on behalf of the group, insisted that the impeachment of Akindele and the other principal officers remained.

Iroju explained that “we got a wind that the minority group led by the erstwhile speaker, today (yesterday) wanted to sit at the hallow chamber; we swung into action and when we got there, we took the mace-the authority of the assembly is in our possession. They cannot seat without the mace because it is symbol of authority.

“We told them they cannot seat because we have changed them. Jumoke, his deputy, Olotu, and the former majority leader, Ifedayo Akinsoyinu, cannot come to the assembly because they have been suspended.

“In view of this, a stalemate was created and the commissioner of police came to addressed us and consequently sealed the assembly.”

Iroju also made a clarification that 20 of them out of 26 signed the impeachment notice but only 14 of them sat at the hallow chamber to remove the speaker.

He alleged that six of them who signed the impeachment notice were later influenced and went back to Akindele’s faction.

The lawmaker listed names of those six lawmakers as Abayomi Akinruntan, Siji Akindiose, Tuyi Akintimehin, Ade Adeniyi, ‎Fajulu Abimbola and Towase Kuti.

Iroju called on the forensic expert to authenticate the genuineness to determine the actual signatures in order to prove those saying their signature was forged wrong.

He warned all the banks where the assembly has accounts to stop making any transaction with Akindele’s faction and also urged the Commissioner of Police to withdraw all the security details attached to the woman.

Addressing journalists on behalf of his faction, the Chairman of the Assembly Committee, Hon Siji Akindiose, expressed regret over the assembly closure, and accused some fifth columnists for fueling the crisis.

Akindiose insisted that the other faction did not have the required number to carry out the impeachment process claiming that 14 lawmakers were on his side.

The lawmaker, who expressed optimism that the matter would be resolved, urged the other side to allow reason to prevail on the matter.