Ondo Deputy Governor Served Impeachment Notice

‎The Ondo State House of Assembly, on Tuesday, served a notice of impeachment on the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, following allegations of gross misconduct.

A seven-count charged levelled against Olanusi was signed by 20 lawmakers out of the 26 in the House.

At the plenary, the motion for the notice of impeachment was moved by the House Majority leader, Hon. Ifedayo Akinsoyinu, and seconded by Hon. Yinka Banso, representing Akoko North West Constituency I, who also doubles as the House Committee Chairman on Education, Science and Technology.

The lawmakers claimed that their action was in keeping with the provisions of Section 188 of Nigeria Constitution and appealed that Speaker of the Assembly, RT. (Hon.) Jumoke Akindele, to start the impeachment process.

“We the under-signed members of the Ondo State House of Assembly, pursuant to our enabling powers under Section 188 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, hereby present to the Speaker the following allegations of gross misconduct against the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi.”

They, in their allegations of gross misconduct against Olanusi, accused him of perpetrating fraudulent activities with his younger brother, Alhaji Bola Olanusi, who is also his Special Assistant to procure false local purchase order (LPO) with the knowledge of Olanusi for a shoddy deal with Ehiso Resources International Limited.

Olanusi was accused of discrediting the Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, during a press release and interview with the Saturday Punch dated April 18, 2015, portraying Mimiko as a person who aided and abetted crime against humanity in different capacities.

The Deputy Governor was accused alleged of “absenteeism and truancy by regularly absenting himself from office, and all other official engagements, without lawful excuse or authorisation.”

The lawmakers also flayed him on the recent fracas between his security aides, whom they said, “caused his security aides to shoot indiscriminately at peaceful protesters on Fiwasaye/Oba Adesida Road, in Akure, thus creating panic, breakdown of law and order and general sense of insecurity within the state.”

Olanusi, who decamped to the opposition party barely 48 hours to the presidential elections, was accused of “causing political disaffection and deliberately working at cross purposes with the Governor,” purportedly trying to plot the impeachment of Mimiko immediately after the March 28 elections.

He was accused of financial mismanagement and malfeasance, such as “unlawfully enriching himself and/or causing loss to the State Government” the total amount of N39, 289, 310 from 2009 to 2014, allocated for medical bill, under the pretext of travelling, “when, in actual fact,  Olanusi did not travel on the said specific dates or did not travel at all, or did not expend the approved medical bills as appropriate.”

Addressing journalists shortly after the sitting, the House Committee Chairman on Information, Youths and Sports, Hon. Kunle Olujuyigbe, representing Akure South Constituency, said they followed the due process of the law by first writing a notice to the Speaker and later to the

Deputy Governor, as clearly spelt out in the constitution.

Olujuyigbe added that Olanusi would be expected to defend himself on the allegations levelled against him.