I have not been served impeachment notice — Ondo deputy governor

Ondo State Deputy Governor, Hon Agboola Ajayi says he has not been served impeachment notice by the state House of Assembly.

He said all he heard was a rumour about the plan to impeach him.

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Ajayi, however, noted that he is not ruffled by the political situation surrounding his office and his recent defection to the PDP.

Nine out of 26 members of the State House of Assembly including the Deputy Speaker, Hon Iroju Ogundeji and the Majority Leader, Hon Jamiu Maito had dissociated themselves from the impeachment move against the deputy governor.

Other members of the Assembly who kicked against the plan to impeach him include; Hon. Favour Tomomowo, Hon. Rasheed Olalekan Elegbeleye, Hon. Festus Akingbaso, Hon. Adewale Williams Adewinle, Hon. Samuel Demola Edmisan, Hon. Tomide Akinribido and Hon. Success Torhukerijor

The Assembly which is made of 26 members requires 18 members to successfully carry out the impeachment.

With nine members dissociating themselves from the impeachment plan, the Assembly does not have the required 18 to carry out the impeachment process as clearly spelt out in Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.

Fourteen members supported the impeachment move while three were yet to make up their mind.

The letter of impeachment which was addressed to the Clerk of the Assembly, entitled “Dissociation from the impeachment plan of the Deputy Governor”, reads: “We the underlisted elected members of the Ninth Assembly session of the Ondo State House of Assembly hereby append our signatures to clarify that we have resolved not to partake in the impeachment process of the Deputy Governor.

” In view of the above, we hereby bring to the notice of Clerk, Mr Bode Adeyelu, the entire members of the House of Assembly and the general public that we do not support the impeachment process and we would not be associated with it based on personal conviction”.

Meanwhile, the deputy governor had approached the court to stop the impeachment process.

In a suit filed on his behalf by Dr I. Olatoke SAN at the Federal High Court, Akure, Agboola Ajayi is asking the court to halt the impeachment proceedings and enforce his rights to freedom of association, “which is the basis for the move against him.”