The Deputy Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Oludare Kadiri has been impeached.
A five-member committee set up by the House impeached Hon. Kadiri over an alleged public disturbance which he was found guilty.
Hon Kadiri was on February 26, arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for an alleged assault after he reportedly led suspected hoodlums to invade the residence of the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi, in Oru-Ijebu, Ijebu North Local Government Area of the state during the revalidation exercise of the All Progressives Congress in the state.
He was removed after the report by the five-member committee recommended him for impeachment, he was found guilty of the allegations levelled against him 18 out of the 26 lawmakers adopted for his removal.
He’s removal followed the presentation of the report of the Ad-Hoc Committee on the ‘Petition by the Committee Chairman and Majority Leader, Hon. Yusuf Sheriff, shortly after a member representing Ijebu-North East, Hon. Abayomi Fasuwa moved the motion for its adoption, seconded by his Ijebu-Ode counterpart, Hon. Kemi Oduwole and supported by nineteen other lawmakers at the plenary presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
According to the Chairman, “the committee gave all the parties involved ample opportunities to make their presentations with relevant evidence including; documents, phone recordings, CD Rom and printed photographs to establish their facts”.
“On the involvement of a lawyer, Hon. Kadiri Oluwadamilare failed to have exploited all internal mechanisms of getting information sought before calling a lawyer. To this end, the committee considered that: as the Vice-Chairman of fund management Committee, he has direct access to all the information; as the Vice Chairman of the Principal Officers body, he never reported the matter for discussion; as the Vice-Chairman of the House, executive meetings held every plenary day, he never raised the issue for discussion.
On the petitions submitted by Adebiyi Odugbesan & Co. after listening to both parties, the Committee observed that the matter is neither here nor there. The Committee is of the opinion that Hon. Kadiri, as an Honourable Member and Deputy Speaker of the House, should have exhibited some caution. However, since the matter is still pending and awaiting further investigation by the Nigeria Police, the Committee will not make any pronouncement on the issue”, the report partly stated.
Thereafter, Fasuwa submitted a report endorsed by nineteen lawmakers conveying their unanimous confirmation in support of the recommendation of the ad-hoc committee’s report, which they noted had found Kadiri guilty of acts of gross misconduct and therefore endorsed his removal from office as Deputy Speaker of the Assembly.
The ad-hoc Committee had on Wednesday held its preliminary/ fact-finding sitting, where it examined the petitions on the allegations leveled against Kadiri on their merit with all petitioners, witnesses, and respondents as well as representative of the Nigeria Police, CSP Joshua Adewalehinmi in attendance.
Clarifying the voting pattern, Speaker Oluomo explained that the Assembly’s Standing Order specified that voice vote shall not be used in determining the removal of a principal officer, thus the submission of the endorsement by nineteen (19) signatories (lawmaker) who demanded his removal from office which was equally read before the lawmakers by the Clerk, Mr. Adeyemo.
The Deputy Speaker represented Ijebu-North at the State Assembly.