By Josephine Oguntoyinbo
The Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, has appealed to members of the Assembly to allow peace to reign.
He insisted that the recent disagreement among lawmakers had been resolved following the intervention of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Oladiji made the appeal while reacting to the tension that disrupted legislative activities at the Assembly on Thursday, amid conflicting claims over an alleged move to remove him as Speaker.
According to the Speaker, Governor Aiyedatiwa and other leaders had already intervened in the matter and appealed to lawmakers to maintain the status quo in order to preserve the peace in the state and prevent the Assembly from being destabilised.
He explained that the immediate incident that heightened tension at the Assembly involved three youths whom he had invited to his official residence and who later came to the Assembly after discovering that he had gone to the office.
Oladiji said the youths, whom he described as youth leaders, were at the reception when one of the lawmakers approached them and questioned their presence on the Assembly premises.
He explained that the youths told the lawmaker that they had been visiting the Assembly to obtain recruitment forms, adding that they were not there to interfere in the legislative affairs of the House.
The Speaker said the situation generated tension, prompting him to intervene and direct the three youths to leave the Assembly premises in order to prevent the situation from escalating.
“I intervened and told the three of them to leave the Assembly premises, and they left.
‘I later went to the honourable members and explained why I invited them.
“Since I have been Speaker of this Assembly, there has not been any issue concerning hoodlums,” he said.
Oladiji questioned the description of the three youths as hoodlums, stressing that they were youth leaders who had come to the Assembly for recruitment-related purposes and were not involved in any act of violence or disruption.
He said the matter was subsequently discussed and resolved among the lawmakers, but the disagreement had taken considerable time, making it impossible for the House to proceed with its scheduled parliamentary sitting.
The Speaker also dismissed claims that an impeachment process had commenced against him, saying there was neither an impeachment notice nor any formal impeachment proceeding against him.
Oladiji urged his colleagues to remember their responsibility to the people who elected them, saying lawmakers should concentrate on their legislative duties rather than allow political disagreements to undermine the work of the Assembly.
He said, “We are representatives of the people and they are looking at us.
“They are watching us.
“We should at least do what is needful in the area of legislation for which we have been elected.”
The Speaker further appealed to all members to put their differences aside and work together to enable the Assembly to continue with its legislative responsibilities.
He said Ondo State had always been known for peace and urged politicians not to allow political disagreements to threaten the peaceful atmosphere in the state.
Oladiji also apologised to the people of Ondo State over the situation, assuring them that, under his leadership, the Assembly would continue to work in the interest of the people and ensure that peace and legislative stability were maintained.
He said, “I want to tender my sincere apology to the people of Ondo State that, as far as the Ondo State House of Assembly is concerned under my watch, I want to give them 100 per cent assurance that peace will continue to reign and that the law and whatever legislative assignment we have will be in the interest of the people of Ondo State.”