Despite the move by the national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to salvage the crisis over the impeachment process against the deputy governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the state’s House of Assembly on Monday resumed the proceedings against the deputy governor.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Judge, Justice Olusegun Odusola, the Speaker of the Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, requested the constitution of a panel to investigate the allegations against the embattled deputy governor.
With the letter indicating that the peace move of APC’s national chairman has crumbled, the Assembly stated that the restraining order of an Abuja High Court had elapsed.
The letter partly read, “From the facts and legal advice at the disposal of the House, the said order has now elapsed and/or become extinguished by the operation of the law, given the clear provisions of Order 26 Rule 10 (2) & (3) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019.
“Consequently, the 10th Ondo State House of Assembly at this moment calls on your lordship to kindly constitute the Panel without any further delay.”
Meanwhile, sources revealed that the Assembly decided to carry on with the order over the alleged failure of the deputy governor to withdraw the various lawsuits he had filed over the impeachment proceedings.
One of the sources in the Assembly disclosed that the lawmakers chose to proceed with the impeachment process when they received no indication that Aiyedatiwa had indeed withdrawn the lawsuits.
Meanwhile, the impeachment proceedings have sparked political tensions within the state in the past weeks.