Oludaisi Elemide was sworn in as the new Speaker of the House by the Ogun State House of Assembly on Tuesday.
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Elemide is a third-time member of the Assembly, having represented the Odeda State Constituency.
After Olakunle Oluomo was removed from office as Speaker of the Assembly, Elemide took over.
According to information obtained by Obasanjo News24, as of Tuesday morning, 25 of the 26 state Assembly members had signed Oluomo’s notice of impeachment due to charges of financial mismanagement, inattention, and highhandedness, among other things.
22 of the Assembly’s members who were present voted in favour of Oluomo’s impeachment during the plenary session.
At a plenary session chaired by Deputy Speaker Bolanle Ajayi, Musefiu Lamidi read the findings of a committee the House had established to look into Oluomo.
Lamidi clarified that the committee had informed the former Speaker that its goal was to hold a fair hearing regarding the accusations made against him, not to go on a witch-hunt.
Lamidi stated, “The speaker stated that because some of the committee members were among the initial 18 members who signed the impeachment notice, they do not have the authority to be members of the committee to look into him.
He left the committee after realising that his request had been denied in order to avoid having to answer any further questions from the committee.
The committee noted that the speaker’s demeanour betrays a lack of respect for both the committee and the House of Assembly.
He claimed, “His demeanour is a blatant admission of the charges in the impeachment notice served upon him, which include, among other things, financial impropriety, high handedness, and lack of focus.”
But according to Lamidi, the committee recommended that he be impeached after concluding that he was guilty of all the charges made against him.
Afterwards, he made the motion to adopt the report, and Oluseun Adesanya of the Ijebu North East State Constituency seconded it.
The proposal was thrown back to the House by the Deputy Speaker, and the 22 members present approved Oluomo’s dismissal as speaker by a majority vote.
He declared, “I hereby confirm that Oluomo stands impeached and removed as the speaker of the Ogun House of Assembly, with the majority vote of 22 members.” the
In response to the event, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun commended the newly appointed Speaker and other legislators for arranging a smooth transition.
During the new speaker’s courtesy visit to her office, 19 House members were escorted by the Governor, who was represented by his deputy, Noimot Salako-Oyedele.
He applauded the smooth process by which they chose a new speaker, stating once again that in a democracy, the legislators have the authority to choose their leader.
“You conducted yourself during the procedure in an excellent manner. The decision of members of a certain legislature to replace its leader has happened before in this nation.
In its relationship with the House of Assembly, he underlined, the executive branch will continue to uphold the rule of law and the notion of separation of powers.
