Ondo Lawmakers Halt Sessions Until Speaker Resigns Over N44m Allegations

The crisis in the Ondo State House of Assembly got worse on Monday. Lawmakers said they will not hold any sessions until Speaker Olamide Oladiji resigns. This is due to claims about how he handled N44 million released by the Ondo State Oil-Producing Areas Development Commission, OSOPADEC.

This decision stops all legislative work in the House. Reports say 21 out of 26 lawmakers have signed a vote to remove Mr Oladiji over claims of financial mismanagement linked to the funds. The lawmakers made it clear that no plenary will happen until Speaker Olamide Oladiji resigns over the N44 million from OSOPADEC.

Olatunji Ifabiyi, the Assembly’s spokesperson, spoke for the lawmakers. He said they have all agreed not to meet again unless there is a new speaker.

"We have resolved not to hold a plenary until there is a change of Speaker," Mr Ifabiyi said.

He added that the lawmakers want Mr Oladiji to resign. He warned that if Mr Oladiji does not step down, they will start impeachment proceedings.

"For now, there is no development except that Mr Speaker should just give way and allow another person to preside over the Ondo State House of Assembly," he stated. If the speaker does not resign, Mr Ifabiyi said, he will be removed. "We will do the needful," he added.

The crisis started after claims that the speaker did not involve lawmakers in spending the N44 million released by OSOPADEC for the reordering of the commission’s 2026 budget. This controversy has caused anger among members of the Assembly. It has led to the impeachment notice signed by most of the lawmakers.

While the standoff continues, there are mixed reports about efforts to solve the crisis. A key officer of the Assembly, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the state executive held a peace meeting on Sunday. They met with unhappy lawmakers and leaders of the Assembly.

According to this lawmaker, the groups agreed to keep the details private but said the issue was resolved internally.

But Mr Ifabiyi said he did not know about any such meeting. He insisted that lawmakers have not changed their stance. He also said that reports of an assassination attempt on one of the lawmakers have been sent to security agencies for investigation.

This situation marks one of the most serious leadership crises in the Ondo Assembly in recent years. Legislative activities are now on hold until the dispute is settled.