New troubles for Ondo Assembly over ₦44 million fund scandal

The Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, is trying to clear his name after new corruption claims surfaced. Calls for him to resign are growing louder.

Mr Oladiji is accused of taking ₦44 million from the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) for the House. The allegation is that he did not share the money fairly among the members.

Even though all assembly members belong to the All Progressives Congress (APC), this issue may be tied to the internal politics around the 2027 elections. Sources within the assembly say Mr Oladiji is facing strong pressure to resign while some colleagues demand a full investigation.

A source, who asked to remain anonymous due to lack of permission to speak, said the Speaker was expected to resign during the resumed plenary on Monday. However, he changed his mind after talking to his political supporters.

"The Speaker thought about resigning on Monday but decided against it," the source said. "The issue involves an alleged ₦44 million given by OSOPADEC to the assembly. The money was meant for the whole House, but there are claims that the Speaker did not include other lawmakers in how the funds were managed."

Mr Oladiji has rejected these claims, calling them false and politically driven. In a statement from his office, the Speaker said the rumors about a resignation plan, leadership issues, and fund mismanagement are "sensationalised, malicious, and completely made up."

"We state clearly, without doubt, that Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji never thought about resigning, nor is there any leadership problem in the 10th Ondo State House of Assembly. The report is a total invention by its authors and their unnamed sources," the statement said.

The statement added that lawmakers manage their own welfare and resources. It insisted that the Speaker only gets what is constitutionally allowed for his role. The claim that he left out members regarding the ₦44 million is described as "a fabricated lie meant to stir up fake discontent."

Speaking to reporters in Akure on Tuesday, Mr Oladiji denied claims that 21 lawmakers asked him to resign. He said, "I’m not aware of that."

He also pushed back against rumors linking him to a plot against a colleague's life. "I’m a law-abiding citizen... I’m a Christian; I don’t believe in that. Let her bring evidence to back such claims," he said.

The representative for Ilaje Constituency II, Olawumi Fayemi-Obayelu, confirmed she is dedicated to looking into the allegations, but said her life has been threatened. She accused Mr Oladiji of trying to intimidate her and reiterated that two-thirds of the House believes the Speaker should resign.

"Let me make this clear about the rumors going around. I have received many calls threatening me to stop my investigation into bribery, forgery, and corruption involving the Speaker and OSOPADEC," she posted on her Facebook page. "Just now, I narrowly escaped death."

In a direct message to the Speaker, Mrs Fayemi-Obayelu wrote: "Now, this is my special message to you, Rt. Hon. Oladiji, a.k.a Landmark. You want to silence me because you see me as a problem for you in the House. Listen. We were both elected to serve our people. How dare you! You call yourself a fighter, yet a woman overshadows your many corrupt acts. You're a hypocrite."

She added, "I stood firm against injustice during the last impeachment saga in Ondo State as the only woman in the integrity group (G11). This time, no intimidation or threat will stop me. I remain unshaken by your arrogance and the fraudulent actions of the 10th Assembly."

"Your games will not succeed. The Ilaje people will not continue to suffer while you plot to steal money meant for them. Never! I will not be intimidated by you or your fellow fraudsters. I told you, if you want to cross any member of the 10th Assembly, come with clean hands."

"I have kept quiet out of respect for the Governor. But enough is enough. I will not let you play with my life or my late father’s legacy. I, Hon. Dr Olawumi Fayemi-Obayelu, reaffirm the decision of two-thirds of the House: resign now as per the resolution or face the consequences. There is no going back."

The assembly faced a similar problem last year, but attempts to remove the Speaker failed when members could not gather the needed two-thirds majority. Some loyalists believe the recent attacks on the Speaker are reactions to the recent primaries, where many of the Governor’s candidates were dropped by the APC leadership.

New candidates, mostly loyal to the Governor, were supposed to replace some federal lawmakers. But the APC National Working Committee later reversed this, bringing back the former lawmakers and causing anger within the state. While things have calmed down in the party, leaders are still trying to smooth things over with the Governor and unite the party ahead of the presidential election.