Ondo Assembly slams deputy gov with 14 counts of gross misconduct

Ondo Assembly slams deputy gov with 14 counts of gross misconduct

The Ondo State House of Assembly has disclosed the facts of the “gross misconduct” claims leveled against the deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, amid the impeachment attempt.

Our publication has copies of the 14 claims made after Mr Aiyedatiwa was served with a notice of gross misconduct.

Last week Wednesday, the House of Assembly raised a motion of notice of an allegation of gross misconduct against the deputy governor with the view to respond to them within seven days.

The notice was signed by 11 members out of 26 members of the State House of Assembly.

In the copy of the notice forwarded to Mr Aiyedatiwa, the lawmakers used the provision of section 188 (2) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to back up their position.

The allegations against Mr Aiyedatiwa include; gross misconduct, abuse of office with actions likely to bring down the Ondo state government, financial recklessness, and publications in print media by media aides maligning the credibility of the governor.

Recall that the House of Assembly had directed the chief judge, Olusegun Odusola, to set up a seven-member panel of inquiry to investigate the allegations against the deputy governor.

“The Chief Judge is hereby implored to appoint a panel of seven persons who are of unquestionable integrity to investigate the allegation against the Deputy Governor and report to the house,” Olamide Oladiji said at one of the plenary sessions of the Assembly.

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• Earlier, Mr Aiyedatiwa had approached the Ondo State High Court to seek an injunction restraining the assembly from proceeding with the move and breaching his right to a fair hearing.

On Monday, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court issued an injunction preventing the assembly from impeaching Mr Aiyedatiwa on the grounds of alleged gross misconduct.

Meanwhile, a constitutional lawyer in the state, Femi Emodamori, said the assembly has done the right thing in asking the chief judge to set up a panel to investigate the deputy governor over the allegations of misconduct.

Mr Emodamori, however, added that those who would make up the panel to investigate the allegations should be men of integrity and not those with questionable characters in the state.

He revealed that the allegation against the deputy governor is grave, noting that the “people who allege would have to come out and prove the allegation.”

The lawyer posited that it was illegal for Mr Aiyedatiwa to rush to the court and get an injunction stopping his alleged impeachment plot when he was yet to be served the notice of the allegations preferred against him.

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“And another disturbing aspect is how the deputy governor had rushed to the court to get an injunction when you’re even yet to get the allegation levelled against you. The injunction he got from any court is an abuse of judicial process.

“He is alleging a violation of his right to a fair hearing that he’s not been served. That it’s within social media even when section 188 says he should be served within seven days and it’s not yet seven days.

“Rushing to court even before the panel is constituted is an abuse of judicial process. He doesn’t have a fundamental human right to protect at that stage. The body to hear him is the panel to be constituted by the Chief Judge. Until the body begins work, how do you complain about the violation to a fair hearing?” Mr Emodamori said.

He added, “Although, the worst that could happen now is that whatever injunction they got now, it could only cause delay but it cannot stop the process even when the processes are time bound.

“Unfortunately, impeachment is always a political affair and sometimes vendetta or out of personal greed. But our interest is that the law should take its cause.”

Ondo Assembly slams deputy gov with 14 counts of gross misconduct