Ondo State House of Assembly has agreed to suspend the ongoing impeachment process against the state deputy governor, Lucky Ayiedatiwa.
The Deputy Governor has been threatened with impeachment by the State House of Assembly over allegations of gross misconduct and has been served with notice of impeachment by the lawmakers.
However, the intervention by the national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) under the leadership of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje seems to be productive following a reconciliation committee put in place to resolve the crisis amicably.
Addressing a press conference Tuesday in Abuja, after a closed-door meeting that lasted for about two hours at the National Secretariat of the APC in Abuja, the national chairman and the State House of Assembly Speaker confirmed the development to suspend the impeachment process.
Tuesday’s meeting had in attendance members of the party’s NWC, the Aminu Bello Masari-led 9-man Reconciliation Committee, party state chairman Ade Adetimilehin, and 18 of the 22 APC lawmakers led by Speaker Oladeji Olamide.
Addressing newsmen after the meeting, the Chairman of the reconciliation committee and former governor of Kastina, Masari said: “For now, the probe and impeachment process has been suspended to allow room for the committee to work. We met with all stakeholders, except for the governor who we are still making an effort to see.”
Admitting that the lawmakers were in Abuja at the instance of the National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and the reconciliation committee, the Speaker of the state assembly, Oladeji Olamide, said the State House of Assembly was ready to cooperate as an arm of government with the party.
He said: “We promised to work with the national chairman and the chairman of the reconciliation committee to find a lasting solution to the political crisis in Ondo State.
“We gave a promise that on our part, we are ready to cooperate as an arm of government with the party. At the same time, whenever they want to meet us, we will be of help to the committee. More importantly, we will allow the committee to do their work without hitches. Apart from that, we believe this is the only political solution that will be of help to resolve the crisis in Ondo State.”
While appreciating all the stakeholders in the crisis for allowing a political solution to the impasse in the state, national chairman, Ganduje said the decision by the lawmakers to ceasefire showed that they are Democrats and committed party faithful.
Ganduje said: “First of all, I have to thank the speaker and his members of the state assembly for honouring our invitation to have an in-depth discussion and receive an interim report from the reconciliation committee.
“We thank you for that. This is proof that you are real democrats, civilised and believe in conflict resolution. I have to thank everybody in the reconciliation committee which has experienced members, several senators, House of Representatives members and even the two-term governor of Katsina, Aminu Masari who joined us.
“I have to thank the State Assembly for agreeing to suspend the impeachment process and give room for a political solution to the problem. As the reconciliation chairman has mentioned, they haven’t met the governor and his deputy yet. But they met all the stakeholders. That was what warranted the meeting today.
“And now, having suspended the impeachment process, they have created a conducive environment to continue dialoguing. We believe that we will reach a political solution. APC, as a political party, is an institution that is indispensable to democracy.
Therefore, apart from our basic function for recruitment of membership, elected officers and appointed officers, it is our responsibility to see that all the ethics of democracy are followed and crisis averted in our government, both at sub-national level and at international level. It is a political crisis and we are a political institution. So there’s no way we can fold our arms and see that our children are fighting and d we allow them to go like that.”
