•Olakunle Oluomo
Kunle Oluomo has been impeached as the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly.
Eighteen of the 26 members of State Assembly voted for Oluomo’s impeachment at plenary session today.
Oluomo was impeached for alleged embezzlement of funds, highhandedness and related offences, reports Channels TV.
The Assembly immediately elected a member, Oludaisi Elemide, as the new Speaker.
Giving his maiden speech after the impeachment, the new speaker asked for calm among member.
He said that the impeachment was not targeted against the governor of the state Dapo Abiodun as being speculated in some quarters.
He said that the development is within the constitutional rights of the members to elect those lead them in the House.
The House later adjourned plenary for two weeks, with the new speaker in possession of the maze, the symbol of authority of the House.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on September 6, 2022, arraigned Oluomo before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos over an alleged N2.475bn money laundering.
Oluomo was arraigned alongside three others: Oladapo Samuel, Adeyemo Taiwo, and Adeyanju Nimota Amoke (now at large) on 11 counts of conspiracy, forgery, stealing, and money laundering preferred against them by the EFCC.
The EFCC’s prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) had told the court that the defendants committed the alleged offences between 2019 and 2022.
He said that the incident took place in Ogun State.
Oyedepo told the court that they stole the sum of N2.475bn from the treasury of the Ogun State House of Assembly.
Oluomo was, however, granted bail while the trial continues.
