Impeachment Drama: Suspected thugs invade Ondo Assembly

The Ondo State House of Assembly was thrown into an uproar on Thursday following the alleged infiltration of the legislative building by suspected thugs when the impeachment of the speaker of the house is ongoing.

The alleged thugs reportedly arrived at the Assembly without warning and walked through the corridors moving from office to office.

They were reported to have caused fear in the minds of lawmakers and other workers in the legislative complex.

Sources said the suspected thugs were allegedly mobilised to prevent moves to remove Oladiji as Speaker, who is currently facing an impeachment battle among members of the Assembly.

For several tense minutes, the invaders held sway over the premises, disrupting the day’s legislative schedule and instilling palpable fear among workers, many of whom barricaded themselves inside their offices to avoid confrontation.

One of the staff members of the Assembly, who craved anonymity, stated that it took a coordinated intervention involving some of the lawmakers and security operatives to force the intruders to leave the premises.

“It took the combined efforts of Hon. Oguntodu, some members of the House, and the security agencies to ensure the hoodlums were displaced from the premises.”

“They were moving erratically, and no one could ascertain their specific mission until the intervention occurred,” the source stated.

Recall that over 22 of the 26 members of the Assembly had signed an impeachment notice calling for the Speaker’s immediate resignation.

The impeachment move stemmed from allegations of financial impropriety and over alleged diversion of N44 million from the budget of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).

Meanwhile, security had been beefed up around the Assembly complex, with some of the lawmakers currently in a marathon meeting.