Impeachment: Oyo deputy gov replies House of Assembly

IBADAN - The deputy governor of Oyo State, Rauf Olaniyan, has responded to the allegations levelled against him by the Oyo State House of Assembly, following impeachment process initiated against him by 23 among the 32 lawmakers in the state’s legislative arm.

The spokesman of the assembly, Kazeem Olayanju, made the disclosure when he featured on a radio programme in Ibadan on Thursday. 

He stated that Olaniyan’s response would be read at the plenary that would hold next Wednesday.

Olaniyan’s response was said to have been sent by his legal counsel the clerk of the assembly four days to the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum given to him by the lawmakers.

The impeachment move was initiated after Olaniyan, a retired permanent secretary, dumped the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) as a result of purported frosty relationship between him and the governor, Seyi Makinde.

The office of the deputy governor has however been moved to the Ministry of Environment, where he is expected to discharge his duties.

The letter that initiated the impeachment move was dated June 9, 2022, and was received same day in the Office of the Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin. It was entitled: ‘Petition and Notice of Allegations of the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, His Excellency Engineer Rauf Olaniyan.’

The letter surfaced barely two weeks after Olaniyan dumped PDP for APC. 

In the petition read during the plenary, the 24 lawmakers levelled five allegations against Olaniyan, bordering on gross misconduct, abuse of office, financial recklessness, abandonment of office and official duty, and insubordination and other offences.

The Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin, in his reaction after the letter was read, had noted that the petition met the two-third requirements to initiate the impeachment process against the deputy governor. 

He said the lawmakers would give the deputy governor a seven-day ‘grace period’ to respond to the allegations, which would end on Wednesday June 22.

He, however, warned that failure to respond to the allegations within seven days could lead to the commencement of impeachment move.

The petition read in part: ”Consequent upon listed below, we the under listed elected Honourable members of the 9th assembly hereby allege the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, His Excellency Eng. Rauf Olaniyan with the following allegations: Gross misconduct, Abuse of office, Financial recklessness, Abandonment of office,official duty, Insubordination and other offences. This is in accordance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended in 2011. Section 188.”