The inauguration of the tenth legislature of the Ogun State House of Assembly, initially scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the postponement is not unrelated to the fierce battle over the selection of the Speaker, who was endorsed by Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Olakunle Oluomo, the outgoing Speaker seeking re-election, finds himself entangled in a challenging struggle ahead of the inauguration. Oluomo is currently facing a court case for allegedly misappropriating ₦2.5 billion that belongs to the Assembly.
Insiders suggest that Oluomo, who narrowly won the election for the Ifo I constituency on March 18, may not retain his position as Speaker unless a last-minute resolution is reached between him and his opponents.
Sources reveal that certain factions within the ruling party, as well as some members-elect who served in the previous ninth assembly, are dissatisfied with Oluomo’s “leadership style.”
This newspaper recalls that last year, approximately 16 lawmakers reportedly signed a document supporting the Speaker’s impeachment, although he managed to evade the plot.
Meanwhile, former Deputy Speaker Oludaisi Elemide has entered the race for the speakership and poses a significant threat to Oluomo’s re-election. Elemide, a loyalist of former Governor Olusegun Osoba, previously stepped down to allow Oluomo’s uncontested emergence as Speaker during the ninth legislature’s inauguration on June 10, 2019.
According to insiders, Elemide, a three-time lawmaker representing the Odeda constituency, enjoys the support of certain disgruntled lawmakers who aim to remove Oluomo from his position.
However, other sources suggest that Oluomo has obtained the endorsement of Governor Dapo Abiodun to continue as Speaker.
On Tuesday, it was reliably gathered that the inauguration has now been rescheduled for June 20 due to the inability to reach a consensus regarding the return of Abiodun’s favoured candidate as Speaker.
Out of the 26 seats in the House, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) secured 17, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won nine seats.
Oluomo and Elemide both hail from the Ogun Central region, which is expected to produce the Speaker according to the zoning arrangement.
