…Allege Speaker mismanagement of ₦44 million

Fresh cracks have emerged in the Ondo State House of Assembly as some lawmakers accused Speaker Olamide Oladiji of presiding over a legislature that has held only four plenary sittings in the last seven months, raising concerns over compliance with the constitutional requirement for legislative sittings.

The allegations come amid an escalating leadership crisis in the Assembly, where some lawmakers are reportedly pushing for the Speaker’s removal over allegations of the unilateral reordering of the ₦9.2 billion Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) budget and the alleged mismanagement of ₦44 million.

Some lawmakers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed the Assembly’s prolonged inactivity had weakened legislative oversight and hampered effective governance in the state.

One legislator alleged that the Speaker had developed a pattern of suspending plenary sittings whenever disagreements arose among members, allowing tensions to subside before reconvening the House.

“We have had only four plenary sittings since January. We are not on recess, yet the House has hardly sat. Whenever he notices there are issues, he will not call plenary. He waits until the tension has died down before calling the House to sit, sometimes after a month. That has been his pattern,” the lawmaker alleged.

The source further claimed that the Speaker’s frequent foreign trips had contributed to the Assembly’s inactivity, leaving legislative business unattended for weeks.

Another lawmaker also alleged that legislative activities were disrupted towards the end of last year as internal disagreements persisted.

“When issues came up in November and December, we barely had meetings. Once there was a disagreement, the House effectively went quiet until members resumed much later,” the legislator said.

Assembly Leadership Speaks

Responding to the allegations, the Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution and Information, Olatunji Fabiyi, acknowledged that the Speaker has the exclusive authority to convene plenary sittings but explained that lawmakers also conduct parliamentary meetings, which form part of the Assembly’s legislative activities.

According to him, the Majority Leader has the statutory responsibility to convene parliamentary meetings whenever necessary.

“The majority leader has the statutory right to call parliamentary meetings. It is only the Speaker that convenes plenary. Where plenary is not called, members can still hold parliamentary meetings once we have the required numbers,” Fabiyi said.

The Assembly spokesman also disclosed that the leadership recently met with the Speaker and advised him to resign voluntarily after allegedly losing the confidence of a majority of lawmakers.

“We told him categorically that he is no longer enjoying the confidence of members and advised him to resign voluntarily so that it would not have a negative impact on his political future,” he added.

Constitutional Questions

The controversy has also raised questions over compliance with Section 104 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which requires every State House of Assembly to sit for not less than 181 days in a legislative year.

The lawmakers argued that if the alleged low number of sittings is confirmed, the Assembly could face scrutiny over whether it has met the constitutional threshold.

Speaker Dismisses Allegations

However, Speaker Oladiji dismissed the allegations as unfounded, challenging his critics to substantiate their claims.

He maintained that parliamentary meetings are recognised legislative engagements and should not be disregarded simply because they are not plenary sessions.

“Let them provide the evidence. Our parliamentary meetings are statutory meetings. At times we may not have plenary sittings, but we have parliamentary sittings, and they are as important as plenary sittings,” the Speaker said.

Oladiji further explained that the frequency of plenary sessions is largely influenced by the volume of executive bills transmitted to the House for consideration.

According to him, the Executive remains the major sponsor of legislation before the Assembly, particularly bills seeking to amend existing laws or introduce new legislation.

“The Executive works with the House of Assembly. Most of the bills we process come from the Executive. They bring bills either to amend existing laws or to enact new ones, and this influences our legislative activities,” he stated.

The latest development underscores the deepening divisions within the Ondo State House of Assembly, with the leadership crisis now extending beyond allegations of financial impropriety to questions about legislative effectiveness and constitutional compliance.

The unfolding dispute is expected to shape the political landscape in the state as lawmakers continue consultations over the future of the Assembly’s leadership.