Oluomo Taiwo Olakunle

Adejoke Adeleye Ogun

The embattled speaker of the Ogun House of Assembly Rt Hon Oluomo Taiwo Olakunle has declared that the process at which he was impeached does not follow due process of the constitution of the House.

Oluomo said this while speaking with journalist at the Assembly complex Okemosan after attending to invites by adhoc committee constituted by the house after a plenary session presided upon by the Deputy speaker Hon Bolanle Lateefat Ajayi today.

While speaking Oluomo noted that following the reconstruction of the House Constitution in 2023,the 18 lawmakers who signed the petition used to Impeach him as not suppose to be in the disciplinary committee.

The House before Oluomo’s arrival has constituted a committee which consist of Hon. Musefiu Lamidi, representing Ado Odo/ Ota 2 State Constituency to serve as Chairman,

Oluseun Adesanya as Vice Chairman, just as Honourables Babatunde Tella, Damilola Soneye, Lukman Adeleye, Fola Salami and Olusegun Odunuga would serve as members, while the Director of Legislative Service, Mr. Temtope Hokon would serve as Secretary.

When asked what he came to do,he said that his office was served an invite to appear the committee about about 10:45 am and by 11:30am he was able to sign but as a democrat he decided to honoured the committee even though the matter is in the court of law.

“I am a Democrat and a lawmaker. The longest serving one in the state. I got an invitation. This has been an extension today. They have already given me notice of impeachment and I wrote back to them that duties of impeachment is not detailed. What is it? What is lack of focus?

The standard rule of the house is, you should give me the details in writing, please, I need more details. That was what I was expecting them to give me more today, they served my office at 10:45, as the Office of the speaker, then I wasn’t around, I was outside the office.

The letter was brought to me and I signed for it at 11:30am. When I read the letter, I noticed that they say, they want me to come and appear by three o’clock, as a respecter of law, and the House of Assembly where I’ve been for a while now, I started coming. And when I got that was what?

I came because of the spirit I have for the house and law, because the matter is in court,when I got here they asked me what happened,then I asked about what?

Then I asked for their permission to allow me release some issues before them. And they granted me that. So I said, number one, I’m here out of respect for the house,then I told them what does the constitution of the house says,the constitution says anyone who signs the impeachment is not entitled to be in the committee.

Also if you read the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, section 36 submission 6, says, If you accuse anybody of criminal offense, you must give him the details of that offense.

And it says you give him adequate time. I said, you have not given me the details, too. You have not given me adequate time. You said you serve me letter at 11:30am . You said I should appear by three o’clock.

And then I asked that by the standing order, which you refer to in the letter sent to me the standing order, the one that we adopted on the floor of the house At 1st of August 2023, it says any member who signed the petition, cannot be a member of the committee. I pointed it out to them today.

The next question they asked me was that did I remember  When Dare Kadiri  was removed as the deputy speaker and that was 2015-2019.

The law, the rule of the house that time wass different from the new one, it is the new one that as their mandate section, which says anybody that is part of the petitioners, or the accusers cannot be a judge in their own case.”