Legislative activities in the Ondo State House of Assembly have been suspended indefinitely as a deepening leadership crisis pits a majority of lawmakers against Speaker Olamide Oladiji over allegations surrounding the handling of ₦44 million released by the Ondo State Oil-Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).
The standoff escalated on Monday after lawmakers declared that plenary sessions would not resume until Oladiji vacates office, insisting that the Assembly requires new leadership before legislative business can continue.
The development follows reports that 21 of the 26 members of the House have signed a notice seeking the Speaker’s removal over alleged financial mismanagement linked to the OSOPADEC funds.
Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Ifabiyi, said members had unanimously agreed to boycott plenary until there was a change in leadership.
“We have resolved not to hold a plenary until there is a change of Speaker,” Ifabiyi said.
He added that the lawmakers expect Oladiji to resign voluntarily, warning that impeachment proceedings would be initiated should he refuse to step aside.
“For now, there is no development except that Mr Speaker should just give way and allow another person to preside over the Ondo State House of Assembly,” he said.
According to him, if the Speaker declines to resign, lawmakers are prepared to invoke constitutional procedures to remove him from office.
“We will do the needful,” he added.
The crisis centres on allegations that the Speaker failed to adequately brief or consult members of the House on the disbursement of ₦44 million reportedly released by OSOPADEC for the reordering of the commission’s 2026 budget.
The allegations have heightened tensions within the Assembly and culminated in the impeachment notice reportedly endorsed by an overwhelming majority of lawmakers.
Meanwhile, conflicting accounts have emerged over efforts to broker peace among the warring parties.
A principal officer of the Assembly, who spoke anonymously, claimed that the Ondo State Government convened a reconciliation meeting on Sunday involving the Speaker, aggrieved lawmakers and other Assembly leaders.
The lawmaker said participants agreed to keep discussions confidential but maintained that the dispute had been resolved internally.
However, Ifabiyi dismissed the claim, saying he was unaware of any such meeting and insisting that lawmakers had not softened their stance on the Speaker’s removal.
He also confirmed that security agencies had been notified of allegations of an assassination attempt on one of the lawmakers and were investigating the matter.
The unfolding crisis is regarded as one of the most significant leadership disputes to hit the Ondo State House of Assembly in recent years, with legislative activities now effectively grounded until the impasse is resolved.
The development comes shortly after a similar controversy in the Ogun State House of Assembly, where lawmakers reversed one of the legislature’s most contentious decisions by clearing former Speaker Olakunle Oluomo of allegations of embezzlement that led to his removal nearly three years ago.
Following a review, Ogun lawmakers said there was no evidence that Oluomo diverted public funds.
The Assembly subsequently reclassified his impeachment as a resignation while maintaining that the leadership transition remained constitutionally valid.
The Ogun decision has renewed public debate over the use of financial misconduct allegations in legislative leadership contests, even as Ondo lawmakers continue to pursue the removal of their Speaker over alleged irregularities involving the OSOPADEC funds.
