As reactions have continued to surround the process of removing the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, by the state House of Assembly, a group, Ondo for Better Life, on Saturday accused the lawmakers of collecting N5m to remove the deputy governor.
The House has however dismissed the claim, saying it was a futile attempt to blackmail it. The House on Wednesday commenced the process of removing the deputy governor over allegations of gross misconduct when he acted for Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
The coordinator of the group, Mr Felix Lewis, who spoke in Akure, the state capital, on Saturday said, “We have good information and fact that they gave each of the lawmakers that support the impeachment N5m to carry out the job. The leadership of the House and some members of the state executive are coordinating the work. We know they may deny it but that is the fact. Let them come out and swear if this is not true.
“We know they will succeed but it is not good for the government of Akeredolu, being his second deputy after Agboola Ajayi and then another one will come. This is not good for our democracy in Ondo State.”
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader of the Assembly, Mr Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, denied the allegation, saying it was impossible to blackmail the House.
He added, “How will that (bribe) be possible? Don’t let us be talking about that one. It is cheap blackmail. The problem there is that we challenged him (deputy governor). There is an allegation and once you are confronted with an allegation, you come up with your facts and defend yourself.
“Moreover, Mr. Governor is not even interested in all these. What we are doing is still within our office and jurisdiction. So for me, there is an allegation before us, it carries somebody’s name, the person that occupied the office of the deputy governor, so we can’t put it under the carpet. We have to do the needful and push it to him. It is now left for him to look at it one after the other and defend himself.
“To say we were given N5m is blackmail and we won’t be blackmailed because we are doing our job.”
Meanwhile, a legal practitioner, Allen Sowore, has condemned the plan to remove the deputy governor, describing the allegations against him as bogus. He said the governor should rather have dealt with saboteurs in his government.
Sowore said in a statement, “I had expected Governor Akeredolu to reprimand those government officials caught in acts of insubordination – those who sabotaged governance in his absence. I mean those who made it impossible for Lucky Aiyedatiwa to assume full control of the government as Acting Governor while the governor was away attending to his health in Germany.”
Punch/Simeon Ugbodovon
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