Remi Olaniyan
Oyo Assembly sacks embattled Deputy Governor, Olaniyan
Barely four days after an Oyo State High Court had dismissed a suit filed by the embattled state’s Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan, to stop the House of Assembly from removing him from office, the lawmaker has been impeached.
Hon. Olaniyan was, Monday morning, impeached as deputy governor of the state.
It would be recalled that the Oyo State High Court presided over by Justice Ladiran Akintola had last Thursday, July 14, dismissed a suit filed by Rauf Olaniyan to stop the House of Assembly from removing him from office.
Olaniyan who had defected from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, early last month, has been faced with impeachment proceedings by the House of Assembly.
Ruling on suit earlier adjourned till July 5, the court had also moved its ruling to Thursday.
Justice Akintola, in a judgment delivered on Thursday morning, held that the impeachment move initiated by the lawmakers had not violated the constitution in any way, adding that the lawmakers substantially complied with the provisions of Section 188 of the Constitution on the removal process.
The court gave the lawmakers the go-ahead to continue with the impeachment process.
The PDP-dominated House of Assembly had initiated impeachment moved against Olaniyan following his defection from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers had in June moved against Olaniyan with 23 of them signing the impeachment notice.
The House in a letter read by the clerk accused the deputy governor of financial recklessness, gross misconduct, and insubordination among other allegations.
However, during Monday’s plenary, the House announced that it has impeached the deputy governor following the recommendation of the panel set up to investigate him.
