Defection: Ondo Assembly declares former deputy speaker’s seat vacant

The Ondo State House of Assembly on Thursday declared vacant the seat of a former Deputy Speaker, Mr Iroju Ogundeji, for allegedly defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party.

In a letter transmitted to the House and read at plenary on Thursday, the Chairman of the APC in the state, Mr Ade Adetimehin, informed the House that Ogundeji had sent a letter of resignation from APC.

Ogundeji, who represents Odigbo Constituency 1, earlier had a crisis with the leadership of the House which led to his removal as the deputy speaker and later suspension in 2020 but the action of the House was quashed by the court.

It was gathered that the former deputy speaker was said to have defected to the PDP from the All Progressives Congress and it was on that grounds that the House declared his seat vacant.

Acting on the letter and quoting Section 109(1)and (g) of the 1999 constitution as amended, the lawmakers, in their resolution, noted that Ogundeji is no longer competent to represent Odigbo Constituency 1 since he has resigned his membership of the APC, through which he was elected into office.

In his remarks, the Speaker of the Assembly, Bamidele Oloyeloogun, said, having resigned his membership of the APC, Ogundeji had violated the relevant section of the law and should vacate his seat.

The speaker ordered that “all benefits and entitlements accruing to his (Ogundeji) office should be stopped immediately, while a letter to that effect should be forwarded to the Accountant General of Ondo State.”

In his reaction, however, Ogundeji said the action of the speaker was tantamount to contempt of court as he had filed a case against the purported declaration of his seat vacant at the Federal High Court.

“I have filed a suit at the Federal High Court and the court has fixed May 10, 2022, for hearing of the suit. The Assembly has been served with the court processes. Whatever action the Assembly has purported to have taken is to overreach the court,” the embattled lawmaker declared.