The political crisis in the Ondo State House of Assembly escalated on Monday as 21 of the 26 lawmakers accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of interfering in the legislature’s affairs, insisting that the planned removal of Speaker Olamide Oladiji remains “non-negotiable.”
The lawmakers alleged that the governor was attempting to shield the Speaker from impeachment over claims of the unilateral reordering of the N9.2 billion Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) budget and the alleged mismanagement of N44 million.
Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Fabiyi, said the Assembly’s decision to remove the Speaker was final and should not be subjected to executive influence.
Fabiyi described the governor’s intervention as an unacceptable encroachment on the independence of the legislature, maintaining that the leadership issue was strictly an internal matter for the House.
He also alleged that Governor Aiyedatiwa initially sought a seven-day window to mediate the crisis but later extended the request to 14 days after a series of closed-door meetings with lawmakers. According to him, the deadline expires next Sunday.
The impasse has stalled plenary sessions and legislative activities in the state Assembly.
Meanwhile, Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, said Governor Aiyedatiwa remains fully committed to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Ajanaku expressed confidence that Ondo State would deliver more than one million votes for the President, citing the Federal Government’s developmental projects and describing Tinubu’s economic reforms as bold steps toward sustainable growth.
He urged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) across the state to remain united and intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
In a separate development, fresh tensions have emerged within the Ondo APC following allegations that Governor Aiyedatiwa has initiated alliance talks with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) after some of his preferred candidates failed to secure the party’s National Assembly tickets.
The allegations reportedly heightened friction between the governor and the APC’s national leadership, with the party’s National Working Committee said to be monitoring the situation.
However, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, dismissed the claims as false and politically motivated, insisting that Governor Aiyedatiwa had not engaged in any anti-party activities.
