Ondo Deputy Gov’s Impeachment Runs Into Hitches As CJ Rejects Assembly’s Panel

The impeachment moves against Ondo State deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, appears to have hit a brick wall.

This comes as Chief Judge of the State, Justice Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, on Friday, has turned down a request by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Bamidele Oleyelogun to set up a seven man panel to probe the Deputy Governor.

The deputy governor had been embattled after 14 out of 26 members of the state assembly signed impeachment against him. Nine members had disassociated themselves from the plot.

In a letter, the Speaker had asked the state chief judge to set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the deputy governor on allegation bordering on the impeachable offences served on the number two man in the state.

But the Chief Judge, in her response dated 9th July, 2020, said that the conditions required by the 1999 constitution for setting up of such a probe panel has not been met.

She said the constitution require two third majority of the members.

In the letter she personally signed, the chief judge also said the matter of impeachment was already a subject of litigation (sub judice).

BIGPEN reports that Ajayi travail with the assembly started after his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party over alleged maltreatment by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.