The leadership crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly took a new turn yesterday as the Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on Friday publicly pitched his tenth with Hon. Coker Malachi, factional Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
Mr. Malachi was recognized as the Speaker of the House of Assembly while he sat next to the Governor during the swearing in of the Secretary to the State Government and Chief of Staff to the Governor at the Exco chamber, Governor’s office, Akure.
Newsnaijaonline recalled the State House Assembly has for the past weeks been engulfed in leadership crisis following the suspension of its Speaker, Ms. Jumoke Akindele, and other principal officers over an alleged N15 million fraud by half of the 26 members of the Assembly.
The 13-member, 8 of them from the PDP and 5 from the APC, purportedly elected Mr. Malachi and Mr. Ayodele Arowele, as acting Speaker and acting Deputy-Speaker respectively.
The development led to a fracas on the floor of the Assembly resulting in the deployment of armed policemen to maintain law and order and eventual sealing of the complex allegedly on the orders of the Inspector-General of Police.
Former Governor Mimiko was also violently prevented from accessing the Assembly to present the 2017 budgetary proposals and his attempts to have the legislature approve a list of 38 bills was equally rebuffed.
Newsnaijaonline gathered that the recognition of the Malachi-led faction might not be unconnected with the latest intervention of the Mr. Akeredolu to resolve the crisis in the Assembly.
Our reporter gathered that the Governor had last week met with the two factions where he advised them on peaceful resolution of the crisis rather than him supporting a faction of the house.
A source close to the Governor who spoke to Newsnaijaonline on Friday said the suspended Speaker, Ms. Akindele and her group also met with the Governor in Ibadan on 5th of March during a thanksgiving service held in his honour.
Mr. Akeredolu was said to have told the lawmakers to sheath their swords and reconcile in the interest of the state, adding that there was the need for compromise on both sides to move forward.
We also gathered that the Ms. Akindele’s group during the meeting explained that due process was not followed by the Malachi group in impeaching the leadership of the house.
They also agreed that a peaceful change of leadership in line with the rules of the Assembly would be encouraged after the resolution of the ongoing crisis.
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