The Ondo State House of Assembly has taken a decisive step in the ongoing impeachment process against Deputy Governor Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa. In a plenary session held on Tuesday, the Assembly directed Chief Judge Justice Olusegun Odusola to establish a seven-member panel to thoroughly investigate the allegations of gross misconduct leveled against the deputy governor.
Last week, the Assembly served Mr. Aiyedatiwa with a notice containing 14 serious allegations. However, the deputy governor has yet to respond to the accusations.
During the plenary, Majority Leader Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi moved a motion to instruct the Chief Judge to initiate the probe into Mr. Aiyedatiwa’s conduct. The motion was seconded by Mr. Felix Afe.
Confirming the deputy governor’s failure to address the allegations, Speaker Olamide Oladiji highlighted that the notice was received by the Chief Protocol Officer on Mr. Aiyedatiwa’s behalf. According to Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution, the Assembly must wait for a response from the deputy governor for a period of seven days, which has now elapsed.
Speaker Oladiji explained, “Despite concerted efforts to serve the notice to the deputy governor, there were difficulties in reaching him, leading the House to seek a substituted service through the court.” On September 25th, a substituted service of the allegations notice was duly signed by more than one-third of the honorable members of the House, as required by Section 188(2) of the Constitution.
The Speaker further added, “Section 188 of the Constitution specifies that the deputy governor has seven days to reply to the allegations. Furthermore, within seven days of passing a motion, the Chief Judge of the state is obligated, upon the request of the Speaker, to appoint a seven-member panel to investigate the deputy governor.”
It is worth noting that the deputy governor had previously obtained an interim order from the Federal High Court in Abuja, restraining the Assembly from proceeding with the impeachment process. The court order also prevents Governor Rotimi Akeredolu from nominating a new deputy governor pending the resolution of the substantive matter.
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