Ogun lawmakers accuse Oluomo of financial misappropriation, elect Elemide as new Speaker
By Adekunle Omobolaji, Abeokuta
Lawmakers in the Ogun State House of Assembly have accused former Speaker of the state assembly, Hon. Olakunle Oluomo of financial misappropriation amongst other allegations.
Oluomo was impeached on Tuesday, with Hon. Oludaisi Elemide appointed as the new Speaker in his place.
Speaking with journalists yesterday on the reasons for the impeachment, Hon. Soneye Damilola Kayode, representing Obafemi Owode Constituency, said Oluomo lied that the governor, Dapo Abiodun, was not giving the House any money.
Kayode said members found out that the Speaker was not informing them that the governor had been giving them money.
According to him, Oluomo embezzled the money given to him by the governor for the lawmakers.
He added that Oluomo kept inciting members against each other.
“We never wanted him, but the leadership of the party thought he was a former Speaker, so we should allow him to continue as a Speaker. We all agreed as faithful party persons.
“Now the situation is: Oluomo will go everywhere; he will come to us as members and tell us the governor has not approved for us any money, the governor has not given us any money, and that we should manage.
“We keep managing. We later found out that the governor had been giving us money. He takes a memo to the governor, the governor gives him money, and he comes back to tell us he did not give him any money.
“Let me give you a good example of this: the quarters allowance. When we came back, the governor gave us money for renovation. Oluomo took the remaining one and embezzled it.
“Now, 18 of us came together and said we cannot be the same. How can we manage our future? He keeps inciting members against each other. This is so bad we cannot take it any more.
“We have now changed the leadership of the House. The House is now under the leadership of Hon Elemide and we remain the same. He (Oluomo) should go and clear his name with the EFCC.”
Speaking with Journalists after the inauguration at the Assembly Complex at Okemosan, the newly elected speaker, Elemide said, “Being a Speaker is an opportunity among many because they were all duly elected by the people and been a speaker does not make you special,speaker is just an errand of the members and whatever the members says is what stands and that is what we have just demonstrated here today.
“We just want to pass it to the whole world that there is a change in leadership of the Ogun State House of Assembly. At least 18 out of 26 members have unanimously signed the agreement and supported me to be their Speaker.
“I am not their boss, I am just to represent the members in case anyone wants to come for anything. We have adjourned for a week and we will be back,” He emphasised.
Elemide however hinted that the impeachment of the former speaker Oluomo would have come up since before the Supreme Court Judgement but they didn’t want to use the impeachment to distract the Governor, hence, they waited till the final Judgement of the Supreme Court.
He lso allayed the fears of the Assembly workers to put their mind at rest while declaring that if there is going to be punishment for anybody from anyone the punishment should be directed to him and his members in the house and not the workers.
The Minority Leader, Hon. Adeleye Lukman said “this is a united house and when it comes to the issue of good governance it has no collaboration, both APC and PDP came together to make this great decision and we are happy we are able to collaborate to change the leadership of the house.”
