The crisis rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly took a new twist on Wednesday as 21 of the 26 lawmakers issued an ultimatum to the Speaker, Olamide Oladiji, to resign or face impeachment over allegations of financial misconduct involving N44 million belonging to the Ondo State Oil-Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).

Two-thirds of the Assembly have signed an impeachment notice against the Speaker, who was accused of unilaterally reordering the OSOPADEC budget and diverting funds meant for the entire Assembly without the consent of other lawmakers.

The crisis, which has been simmering for weeks, escalated on Wednesday when the House Committee Chairman on Information, Olatunji Fabiyi, confirmed that the lawmakers had resolved to give the embattled Speaker a few more days to resign voluntarily.

According to Fabiyi, failure of the Speaker to resign at the expiry of the ultimatum would result in his removal during the next plenary session.

The spokesperson of the Assembly emphasized that the leadership of the House had briefed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on the situation to dispel insinuations that the move was being orchestrated by the executive.

He insisted that the crisis was an internal matter, which he said was caused by the Speaker’s alleged misconduct.

Speaking on the allegations, Fabiyi explained that the crisis was triggered by the handling of the OSOPADEC budget reordering.

He alleged that a resolution was fraudulently written in the name of the members without their knowledge or approval, a development he described as a criminal offense.

“It is about the OSOPADEC budget. A resolution was written in the name of members without our knowledge. It was stated that members had sat down and agreed to it and that it was our resolution, which it was not.

“It is a criminal offense. You cannot shave our heads behind our backs. That is what we are fighting for. So, if somebody is protecting him, it means that person is aiding and abetting him.”

Fabiyi clarified that the governor had intervened and requested time for the matter to be resolved amicably; he, however, stressed that the lawmakers were determined to see the Speaker removed from office.

“We have resolved that Mr. Speaker should go. But in the wisdom of the leadership of the House, we felt we should meet with Mr. Governor. And we have taken the resolution of the members to Mr. Governor. Because of the one we did before, they were castigating us, saying somebody was sponsoring us.

Meanwhile, a female lawmaker of the Assembly, Olawumi Fayemi-Obayelu, representing Ilaje Constituency II, had on Tuesday alleged that she narrowly escaped an assassination attempt linked to her investigation into the alleged corruption between the Speaker and OSOPADEC.

Fayemi-Obayelu accused the Speaker of attempting to intimidate and silence her following her probe into the alleged diversion of funds meant for the development of riverine communities in Ilaje Local Government Area.

The Speaker had dismissed all allegations as “sensationalized, malicious, and entirely fabricated” and denied knowledge of any impeachment notice or leadership crisis within the Assembly.