- Traditionalist begs Tinubu to intervene to avoid bloodshed
- Claims Army plotting to take advantage of crisis to truncate democracy
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR
The Ondo State House of Assembly on Tuesday said the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, had failed to respond to the letter of notice served on him on September 25 over allegations of gross misconduct.
The Speaker, Olamide Oladiji, said the letter of notice was received on behalf of Aiyedatiwa by his Chief Protocol Officer.
Speaking at the plenary session in Akure, Oladiji said the house resolution that the Deputy Governor should be duly served a notice of the allegations, was in line with Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution.
“Concerted efforts were made to serve the notice on the Deputy Governor, who for some time was not available for the service, prompting the House to approach the court for a substituted service on the Deputy Governor.
“On 25th of September, a substituted service of the notice of allegations was made on the Deputy Governor duly signed by more than one-third Honourable Members of the House as required by the Constitution in Section 188 Sub-section 2,” he stated.
According to him, the Constitution stipulates that the assembly should wait for seven days for the embattled Deputy Governor to respond, which has lapsed.
The speaker directed the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Olusegun Odusola, to immediately set up a seven-man panel to investigate the Deputy Governor on the allegations leveled against him.
“Distinguished colleagues, Section 188 of the Constitution states further that the deputy governor has seven days within which to reply to the allegations leveled against him.
“The Constitution states further that within seven days of the passing of a motion under the foregoing provisions of this section, the Chief Judge of the state shall at the request of the Speaker of the House of Assembly appoint a panel of seven persons.
“Distinguished colleagues, I, therefore, wish to seek your opinion to direct the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Hon. Justice Olusegun Odusola, in line with this section of the Constitution, set up a seven-man panel to investigate the deputy governor on the allegations leveled against him,” he said.
The House, with available 23 out of 26 members at the plenary session through voice vote, gave a nod for the chief judge to constitute the panel.
Earlier, the Majority Leader, Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, (Owo 1-APC), moved the motion for the notice on the Ondo State Impeachment Panel Procedure Rules that the panel be constituted by the chief judge of the state.
The motion was seconded by Felix Afe (Akoko North West 2-PDP).
Meanwhile, an African Ifa priest, Olupelumi Fagboyegun, has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently wade into the raging political war between Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, in order to prevent bloodshed in the state.
Fagboyegun, an Owo- born Ifa priest and the founder of Isese Life Ministry, Diaspora, noted that some “faceless bandits” in the Nigerian Army were plotting to take advantage of the political crisis to cause catastrophe that would pave way for the truncation of the third republic.
Addressing a press conference in Osogbo on Tuesday, the cleric said the political crisis, if not well addressed, may lead to bloodshed and total breakdown of law and order in the state.
He stressed that amicable resolution of the feud between the governor and Aiyedatiwa was necessary so as to guide against possible truncation of democratic process in Ondo and Nigeria at large.
Fagboyegun noted that all impeachment processes against Aiyedatiwa should be halted and that Ondo State House of Assembly members should recluse themselves from the proceedings because they had allegedly received gifts of vehicles and cash from the state governor.
He said, “From our history in Ondo State, such situations have happened in the past and the consequences of those situations led to the deaths of many people and derailments of democratic government by the military.
“In 1963, political wrangling between two political parties led to an uprising which my late father, Rev Canon Johnson Olajide Fagboyegun aka JOE vigorously tried to mediate between the two warring factions (like I am doing now) but failed in his efforts.
“The situation eventually led to a total breakdown of law and order which led to scores of people dead within Ogho (Owo) land and Usho Town. This later escalated to what is now known as “Operation Wet Eh” in the South Western part of Nigeria and brought down the democratic government of late Abubakar Tafawa Balewa on January 16, 1966.
“Same scenario happened in 1983 between two political parties, which led to mega destruction of wealth and deaths of many; many of our illustrious indigenes. We in Ondo State have not fully recovered from this horrible incident. The incidence in Ondo State led to the fall of the second Democratic Republic of Nigeria
“It is a situation that can bring this democratic Third Republic down. We fought so hard to get our government back from the military. Many were killed, many went on exile.
“They know that the military’s duty is to protect democracy. However, there are some faceless bandits amongst the ranks that could take advantage of what could happen in Ondo State if the following are not addressed immediately, because when it starts in Ondo State, it has the potential of spreading throughout Nigeria.”
Urging residents and citizens of the state to remain calm and allow the rule of law to take place, he said, “I am representing the voiceless Ondo State indigenes to say that all impeachment proceedings against Ondo State Deputy Governor should stop. We the people of Ondo State elected him, together with the incumbent Governor. That Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa immediately assumes the position of the governor in acting capacity, in the event that our governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredodu, SAN, is continued to be incapacitated because of his illness.
“And should there be any case to answer by the Deputy Governor, and impeachment proceedings are required by law, all members of the Ondo State House of Assembly must recluse themselves from the proceedings because they have all corruptly received gift of vehicles and cash amount from the governor’s team on his return from his medical tourism to Germany.
“That the governor should address us (his people), to distance himself from all the witnesses of the nonentities that are hauling barrage of insults at the deputy governor and the entire Ilaje people.
“That if the above failed to materialise, that His Excellency, the President and Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should immediately declare a state of emergency in Ondo State before the situation degenerates into bloodshed that could lead to this Third Republic being toppled by faceless bandits in the military.
“Finally, I am calling on all citizens and residents of Ondo State, especially the youth, to remain calm and allow the rule of law to take its cause.
“Jungle justice is a criminal offence that could get the guilty ones death penalty under the law of our land,” he noted.
