OYO State House of Assembly yesterday, impeached the Deputy Governor of the State, Eng. Rauf Olaniyan over allegations of gross misconduct, financial impropriety, while in office.
The House of Assembly is dominated by members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The lawmakers, during the plenary announced that they impeached the deputy governor following the recommendation of the panel set up to investigate him.
The announcement of the impeachment was made by the Assembly, following the adoption of the recommendations of the report of the seven-man panel set up to investigate allegations levelled against Olaniyan.
The panel report was read by the Majority Leader of the House, Sanjo Adedoyin, representing Ogbomoso constituency.
Deputy gov faults CJ, alleges compromise Meanwhile, Olaniyan, has faulted the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Munta Abimbola, over the constitution of the seven-man panel which recommended his removal from office.
Olaniyan, in a statement, by his lawyer, Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), alleged that the panel raised to investigate the allegations raised against him was paid to do what they did.
Describing the panel as a charade, he said it could not stand the test of time.
The statement read, “The investigation by the committee set up by the Honorable Chief Judge is a charade that cannot stand the test of time.
In the first instance, the Honorable Chief Judge, with respect, breached his oath of office by ignoring the service of notice of appeal and application for injunction pending appeal when he proceeded to constitute the investigation committee.
“This is against established law and practice. On the part of the panel, they were appointed and paid to do the job, which must be contrary to good conscience.
“They served the Deputy Governor on Friday around 10:45 am and asked him to appear at 11.am.
We wrote to inform them that His Excellency needed time to prepare for his defence, in their desperation to do the job for which they were paid, they rejected the letter, sat on Saturday and completed their task the same day.
“Where is the fairness here? The members of the committee are supposed to be men above board. You have a Reverend father, a Jerusalem Pilgrim, and an Alhaji among them.
This is a clear evidence that we are not yet ripe for democratic practice.”
However, following the assembly’s ratification of a new deputy governor, Governor Seyi Makinde, swore in the new deputy governor, Mr. Bayo Lawal, amid party faithful of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.The swearing in, held at the Executive Council Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Ibadan, followed the impeachment of Olaniyan.
The frosty relationship between the governor and his deputy, became a public knowledge, as Olaniyan, pitched his tent with the All Progressives Congress, APC, a development which sparked off his impeachment process by the state’s assembly.
Speaking shortly after the swearing in, the state Governor Makinde, expressed that the position of deputy governor is a position of trust, charging the new him to put the interest of the people of the state at heart.
The governor said that the good performance and excellent results recorded as Chairman of the Housing Corporation were part of qualities that earned him the higher position of deputy governor.
Makinde assured that his administration will continue to work for the progress of the state.
