My Impeachment Is Unconstitutional, Null, Void – Oluomo

...Says, I’m Still Speaker Of Ogun Assembly

ABEOKUTA – The embattled former Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Kunle Oluomo has said that his impeachment as the Speaker of the Assembly was unconstitutional, null and void.

Hon. Oluomo representing Ifo State Constituency 1 was impeached as Speaker by 18 lawmakers on Tuesday, January 23, 2024.

The House immidiately elected Hon. Oludaisi Elemide as the new Speaker of the House.
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Against this development, Oluomo who spoke for the first time since the impeachment, was of the opinion that action of the 18 lawmakers was “unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.”

Oluomo who addressed journalists in his Legislative Quarters residence, Ibara GRA, Abeokuta in the evening of Friday, January 26, 2024, said that he would approach the court for adjudication on the matter.

It would be recalled that Oluomo who was a Deputy Speaker during the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun, was first elected Speaker in 2019 and re-elected in 2023.

It was scooped that relationship between him and his colleagues nose-dived last year, prompting some of the lawmakers to start scheming to oust him.

The 18 lawmakers, accused their former boss of gross misconduct bordering on financial misappropriation, embezzlement of fund for the renovation of legislative quarters, non-disclosure of House of Assembly finances, embezzlement of monthly seminar/training fund, not accounting the philanthropic gesture extended to the House and spending House funds on personal travels without the consent and approval of the House.

The aggrieved 18 lawmakers also accused Oluomo of inciting lawmakers against one another, breathing down his opinion on them and instigating conflict between the legislative and executive arms of the government.

Addressing the impeachment, Oluomo said the 18 lawmakers had no justification for the ‘illegal’ removal and that the action did not follow due process.

He explained that, he ought to have been given 72 hours notice of impeachment before the impeachment process could be reckoned as valid, stressing his readiness to defend all allegations if they specified them with clarity.

His words, “Let me start by saying, I’m very thankful and grateful to the governor of the state, the public, for the fair, just intervention, which was confirmed in the government press release yesterday (Thursday, January 25, 2024).

“We just said alleged impeachment of the Speaker, but let me dwell on what really happened. I have no problem with my colleagues.

“Although from day one, I emerged as the Speaker in June last year, since that time, I’ve not been finding it easy. Some members who did not want me to be Speaker from that time, have not reneged from terrorizing me in the house. It’s been one problem or the other.

“You don’t need to take laws into your hands. I am the most luckiest legislator in the state that have won my election, back to back for four times from my constituency. I cannot be more lucky than that.

“I’ve been a member, from a member to Deputy Speaker, Deputy Speaker to Speaker and Speaker once again. So, there is nothing that is special to me in the seat of the Speaker that I cannot leave as a Democrat as a young journalist that grew up to this stage as a civil and human rights activist from my childhood.

“So, I’m not the type of person that does say you want to perpetuate himself in office for no reason and on that note, I want to say that I respect the opinion and believe that the House of Assembly has the right to elect and change the leadership at any given time.

“What I’m saying is you’ve got to follow due process. We are lawmakers. We’re not supposed to break the law.

“Our rule is very very clear. It is easy for you to elect Speaker, but the law makes it difficult for you to remove the Speaker in a Gestapo manner.

“I am a due process person. I believe in law, I believe in due process.

“So, what they are supposed to have done was to serve me impeachment notice and give me 72 hours to respond. When I respond, the clerk will take my response and give to all of them one by one.

“The law says if they are satisfied with my response the matter died there.”