By Tolulope Eniola
The Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, has appealed to members of the House to put their differences aside and allow peace to reign, saying the recent disagreement among lawmakers has been resolved.
Oladiji made the appeal while reacting to the tension that disrupted legislative activities at the Assembly on Thursday amid reports of an alleged move to remove him as Speaker.
The Speaker said the intervention of the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had helped to resolve the disagreement, with lawmakers urged to maintain the status quo in the interest of peace and stability in the state.
According to him, the intervention was necessary to prevent the Assembly from being destabilised and to enable lawmakers to focus on their constitutional responsibilities.
Oladiji explained that the immediate incident that heightened tension at the Assembly involved three youths whom he had invited to his official residence and who later came to the Assembly after discovering that he had gone to his office.
He said the youths, whom he described as youth leaders, were at the reception when one of the lawmakers approached them and questioned their presence on the premises.
The Speaker said the youths explained that they had come to the Assembly in connection with recruitment forms and were not there to interfere with the legislative affairs of the House.
He added that the development generated tension, prompting him to intervene by directing the youths to leave the Assembly premises to prevent the situation from escalating.
“I intervened and told the three of them to leave the Assembly premises, and they left. I later went to the honourable members and explained why I invited them. Since I have been Speaker of this Assembly, there has not been any issue concerning hoodlums,” he said.
Oladiji also questioned the description of the youths as hoodlums, stressing that they were youth leaders who had come for recruitment-related purposes and were not involved in any act of violence or disruption.
He said the matter was subsequently discussed and resolved among the lawmakers, although the disagreement consumed considerable time and prevented the House from holding its scheduled sitting.
The Speaker also dismissed reports that an impeachment process had commenced against him, saying there was neither an impeachment notice nor any formal proceeding to remove him from office.
He urged his colleagues to remain focused on their legislative duties and remember their responsibility to the people who elected them.
“We are representatives of the people and they are looking at us. They are watching us. We should at least do what is needful in the area of legislation for which we have been elected,” Oladiji said.
The Speaker appealed to the lawmakers to work together and avoid actions capable of undermining the stability of the Assembly, stressing that political disagreements should not be allowed to distract them from serving the people.
He noted that Ondo State had always been known for peace, urging political actors to preserve the peaceful atmosphere in the state.
Oladiji also apologised to the people of Ondo State over the development and assured them that the Assembly under his leadership would continue to prioritise peace, stability and the interest of the people.
“I want to tender my sincere apology to the people of Ondo State that, as far as the Ondo State House of Assembly is concerned under my watch, I want to give them 100 per cent assurance that peace will continue to reign and that the law and whatever legislative assignment we have will be in the interest of the people of Ondo State,” he said.
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