Ondo State House of Assembly Tuesday agreed to suspend the ongoing impeachment process against the state deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
The deputy governor has been under the threat of impeachment by the State House of Assembly over allegations of gross misconduct and consequently served with notice of impeachment by the lawmakers.
To save his job, Aiyedatiwa separately headed to both the State High Court sitting in Akure, and a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
In the ruling of the State High Court, Justice O. Akintan-Osadebay declined jurisdiction and blasted the embattled deputy governor for “forum shopping,” having instituted same case at the Federal High Court.
Aiyedatiwa had filed suit number AK/348/2023 at an Ondo State High Court September 25, praying the court to stop the impeachment proceedings at the House of Assembly.
The embattled deputy governor filed the suit a day after he secured an injunction from the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja suspending the impeachment process.
…Reconciliation
However, the setting up of a reconciliation committee by the national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) under the leadership of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, appears to have yielded the right results.
Both Ganduje and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Oladeji Olamide, confirmed the development to suspend the impeachment process at a press conference Tuesday in Abuja, after a close-door meeting which lasted about two hours at the party secretariat in Abuja.
The meeting had in attendance members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), the Aminu Bello Masari-led 9-man Reconciliation Committee, state chairman of the party, Ade Adetimilehin, and 18 of the 22 APC lawmakers, led by Speaker Olamide.
…Masari, Olamide speak
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, chairman of the reconciliation committee and former governor of Kastina state, Masari, said: “For now, the probe and impeachment process have been suspended to allow room for the committee to work. We met with all stakeholders, except for the governor who we are still making effort to see.”
Admitting that the lawmakers were in Abuja at the instance of the APC national chairman, and the reconciliation committee, the Speaker said the state legislature was ready to cooperate as an arm of government with the party.
He said: “We promised to work with the national chairman and the chairman of the reconciliation committee to find a lasting solution to the political crisis in Ondo State.
“We gave a promise that on our part, we are ready to cooperate as an arm of government with the party. At the same time, whenever they want to meet us, we will be of help to the committee. More importantly, we will allow the committee to do their work without hitches. Apart from that, we believe this is the only political solution that will be of help to resolve the crisis in Ondo State.”
…Ganduje’s words
While appreciating all the stakeholders for allowing political solution to the impasse, Ganduje said the decision by the lawmakers to ceasefire showed them as democrats and committed party faithful.
Ganduje said: “First of all, I have to thank the speaker and his members of state assembly for honouring our invitation to have in-depth discussion and receive an interim report from the reconciliation committee.
“We thank you for that. This is proof that you are real democrats, civilised and believe in conflict resolution. I have to thank everybody in the reconciliation committee which has experienced members, several senators, House of Representatives members and even the two-term governor of Katsina, Aminu Masari, who joined us.
“I have to thank the State Assembly for agreeing to suspend the impeachment process and give room for political solution to the problem. As the reconciliation chairman has mentioned, they didn’t meet the governor and his deputy yet. But they met all the stakeholders. That was what warranted the meeting today.
“And now, having suspended the impeachment process, they have created a conducive environment to continue dialoguing. We believe that we will reach a political solution. APC, as a political party, is an institution that is indispensable to democracy.
“Therefore, apart from our basic function for recruitment of membership, elected officers and appointed officers, it is our responsibility to see that all the ethics of democracy are followed and crisis averted in our government, both at sub national level and at international level. It is a political crisis and we are a political institution. So, there’s no way we can fold our arms and see that our children are fighting and we allow them to go like that.”
