Ondo Assembly Speaker, Deputy Impeached

By James Sowole in Akure

Less than a month to the inauguration of the administration of Mr.

Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) in Ondo State, the state House of Assembly yesterday impeached its Speaker, Mrs. Jumoke Akindele and her deputy, Hon Fatai Olotu.

A new speaker, Hon Malachi Coker representing Ilaje Constituency was subsequently elected.

It was gathered that members of the House of Assembly numbering 16 impeached both the Speaker and her deputy on Friday evening.

The impeachment was said to have taken place in the Assembly premises.

Although details of the impeachment were not known as at press time, it was gathered that the 26 members House of Assembly had been enmeshed in internal crisis since March last year when Mrs. Akindele and Olotu were first impeached.

Both Akindele and Olotu were impeached by 18 out of the 26 members in March last year for alleged highhandedness but the intervention of Governor Olusegun Mimiko assisted in reversing the impeachment.

Apart from the speaker, the House also elected Hon Ayo Arowele representing Owo state constituency as the Deputy speaker. Speaking on the matter, a member of the Assembly, Hon Gbenga Araoyinbo confirmed the development accusing the speaker and the deputy of allegedly perpetrating fraud.

THISDAY learnt that the speaker and his deputy were sworn in by the Clerk

of the House, Mr. Bode Adeyelu.

There has been several permutations on who was likely to be the speaker of

the 26-member House since the release of results of the November 26

Election of Ondo State that was won by Akeredolu of the All

Progressives Congress (APC).