Impeachment: Aiyedatiwa sues Ondo Assembly as speaker alleges threat to life

The Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, on Monday, September 25, initiated legal action against the state House of Assembly regarding their attempts to impeach him.
Telescope.ng reports that the Assembly had commenced impeachment proceedings against the deputy governor, based on a petition accusing him of gross misconduct.
The alleged infractions were said to have occurred during Aiyedatiwa’s time as the acting governor while Governor Rotimi Akeredolu was on medical vacation.
Aiyedatiwa’s media team was dismissed upon Akeredolu’s return, indicating potential trouble.
The embattled deputy governor, represented by his lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, approached the Ondo State High Court in Akure seeking an order to halt the impeachment process.
Listed as defendants in the suit were the Ondo State Government, the Governor of Ondo State, the Ondo State House of Assembly, the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, the Clerk of the Ondo State House of Assembly, and the Chief Judge of Ondo State.
In the suit marked AK/348/2023, Aiyedatiwa is praying the court to declare that “the defendants are not entitled to take any steps in pursuit of the removal of the claimant from his office as the deputy governor of Ondo State in flagrant violation of his constitutional and fundamental rights.”
He wanted the court to declare that “the defendants are not entitled to constitute themselves into investigators, prosecutors and judge over trumped-up allegations against the claimant in relation to his office, tenure, and status as the deputy governor of Ondo State.”
Aiyedatiwa also, among others, wants the court to restrain the defendants and their agents “from interfering with, restricting, disempowering and/or preventing the claimant from discharging his constitutional duties and functions as the duly-elected deputy governor of Ondo State in a joint and equal ticket with the governor of the Ondo State.”
He also wants the court to make an order “reinstating/restoring the full and total rights and privileges attached or accruing to the office of the claimant as duly elected deputy governor of Ondo State, which include, but not limited to the restoration of all media aides and press crew attached to the office of the claimant as deputy governor of Ondo State.”
The court has yet to fix a date for the lawsuit filed on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Assembly, Olumide Oladiji, on Monday, raised the alarm that his life was under threat over the impeachment move against the deputy governor.
The speaker claimed that some individuals had been phoning him and issuing threats to his life.
Oladiji also confirmed that some fetish items were placed in front of his official quarters on Monday morning, saying all these were not unconnected with the ongoing impeachment process by the state Assembly.
He stated this at his office in the state House of Assembly complex, Akure while speaking with journalists.
He said: “Early this morning, we discovered that fetish items were placed in front of my (official) lodge. Aside from that, I have been receiving strange calls from strange people threatening my life and other members. But I’m not under any pressure.
“l am using the medium to tell the world that my life is under threat. I call on the security operatives to checkmate these people who have been threatening my life and other members. This threat started the day we began the impeachment notice. I have already reported to the NSCDC, among other security agencies.”
The speaker also revealed that the House was unable to serve the deputy governor the petition since the commencement of the process last week but the notice had been served on Monday through substituted means.
Oladiji said: “We have now secured a court affidavit which gives the House a legitimate right to serve the deputy governor and all the 26 lawmakers have appended their signatures on the petition.”
However, the embattled deputy governor has debunked being officially served the notice of gross misconduct, as of Monday, saying he only heard it on the media.