Ondo Lawmakers Accused Of Collecting 5m To Impeach Deputy, Aiyedatiwa

• Kazeem Badmus

A group, Ondo for Better Life, on Saturday, accused lawmakers in Ondo State of collecting N5m to remove the deputy governor, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

The group also said impeaching the Deputy Governor is not good for democracy in the state, adding that the state Governor will have used three deputies when he eventually leaves office if the lawmakers succeeded in the impeachment.

It would be recalled that the House on Wednesday commenced the process of removing the deputy governor over allegations of gross misconduct when he was the acting governor.

While speaking in Akure, Ondo State capital on Saturday, the coordinator of the group, Mr Felix Lewis, said some members of the state executive are coordinating the work.

READ: Ondo Assembly Commences Impeachment Process Against Deputy Gov, Aiyedatiwa

Lewis who said the lawmakers may deny the allegation, tasked them to come out and swear if they did not collect the bribe.

“We have good information and fact that they gave each of the lawmakers that support the impeachment N5m to carry out the job. The leadership of the House and some members of the state executive are coordinating the work. We know they may deny it but that is the fact. Let them come out and swear if this is not true.

“We know they will succeed but it is not good for the government of Akeredolu, being his second deputy after Agboola Ajayi and then another one will come. This is not good for our democracy in Ondo State.”

The House, however, the Majority Leader of the Assembly, Mr. Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, denied the allegation, saying it was impossible to blackmail the House.

Ogunmolasuyi said, “How will that (bribe) be possible? Don’t let us be talking about that one. It is cheap blackmail. The problem there is that we challenged him (deputy governor). There is an allegation and once you are confronted with an allegation, you come up with your facts and defend yourself.

“Moreover, Mr. Governor is not even interested in all these. What we are doing is still within our office and jurisdiction. So for me, there is an allegation before us, it carries somebody’s name, the person that occupied the office of the deputy governor, so we can’t put it under the carpet. We have to do the needful and push it to him. It is now left for him to look at it one after the other and defend himself.

“To say we were given N5m is blackmail and we won’t be blackmailed because we are doing our job.”