The Oyo State Deputy Governor, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan has been impeached.
Olaniyan was impeached on Monday by the Oyo State House of Assembly following the recommendation of the Justice Munta Abimbola-led investigation panel, as contained in the report submitted to the house, which affirmed the allegations levelled against the deputy governor.
23 out of the 32 lawmakers of the Oyo State House of Assembly, by section 188(4) of the Nigerian constitution, signed the petition against the deputy governor at the inception of the impeachment process.
The Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin, announced Olaniyan’s impeachment during today’s plenary sitting on the floor of the House after deliberation on the report of the 7-man panel of investigation.
According to the report of the panel, as read on the floor of the House of the Majority leader, Honourable Sanjo Adedoyin, the deputy governor, at different intervals during the investigation, failed to honour the invitation sent to him to appear before it, thereby compelling the panel to make unnecessary adjournment.
Recall that Justice Ladiran Akintola of an Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan last week, dismissed the suit filed by the deputy governor of the state to stop the state House of Assembly from continuing with the impeachment process.
Delivering the judgment last week, July 14, the court held that the House of Assembly has not breached the provisions of the constitution on the removal of a governor or deputy governor.
According to the court, the lawmakers substantially complied with the provisions of Section 188 of the Constitution on the removal process.
The court said the lawmakers should continue with the removal process.
REPORTES AT LARGE earlier reported that the Oyo Deputy Governor was alleged of financial impropriety, gross misconduct, abandonment of office, insubordination, and abuse of office, among others.
The House, therefore, by constitutional provisions for citizens’ right to a fair hearing forwarded a copy of the petition to the deputy governor for his response to the allegations levelled against him by 23 lawmakers.
The house mandated the deputy governor to make his response available within seven days.
The deputy governor, Rauf Olaniyan, however, defied the directive of the House to respond to the allegations but instead approached the court to seek a restraining order to stop the process initiated against him.
