Fourteen out of the twenty-six Ondo State House of Assembly lawmakers
on Friday evening sacked their speaker, Rt. Hon. Jumoke Akindele over
alleged N15million naira fraud.
But sources within the information unit of the Assembly, who spoke
with DAILY POST in confidence said the embattled speaker was only
“suspended.”
The sledge hammer was not only on the speaker as other principal
officers, including the Deputy speaker, majority leader and others were
also sent packing by the legislators.
The aggrieved lawmakers have also appointed an acting Speaker, Mr.
Malachi Coker, from Ilaje constituency II, while Hon. Ayodele Arowole
from Owo state constituency I was picked as his deputy.
Also, Hon. Olamide George from Akure north State constituency has been appointed as the Majority leader.
The suspension followed an incident, where the house paymaster was
allegedly caught by members of the assembly with the sum of N15million
at the premises of the Assembly.
When confronted, the paymaster said he was acting on the instruction
of the suspended speaker, Princess Jumoke Akindele, who ordered him to
bring the money to her residence.
The house which eventually sat at about 5pm moved that the leadership
under Akindele had failed, as the lawmakers were not aware of the
approval of the said sum.
However, DAILY POST gathered that the removal of Akindele as the speaker was beyond the issue of fraud.
It was learnt that majority of the lawmakers are only preparing the
ground for the incoming governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN, who will be
sworn-in on February 24.
Another source also said the lawmakers decided to sack Akindele
because she had not been protecting their interest despite her closeness
with Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
Recently, the lawmakers rejected 38 bills sent to the Assembly by
Mimiko on the ground that the governor must pay them their allowances
before they could act on them.
