Ogun Speaker battles for survival ahead of inauguration

Speaker of the Ogun State House Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, is embroiled in a stiff survival battle ahead of Tuesday’s inauguration of the tenth legislature, Daily Trust reliably gathered.

Oluomo, currently in court for allegedly diverting N2.5 billion belonging to the Assembly, is running for the Speaker again.

But insiders told our correspondent that Oluomo who narrowly won election for the Ifo I constituency during the March 18 election, may not return as the Speaker except last minute resolve between him and his opponents.

Of all the 26 seats in the House, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) secured 17, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won nine seats.

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Reliable sources told Daily Trust that some forces within the ruling party and some of the members-elect who were part of the defunct ninth assembly are displeased with Oluomo’s ‘leadership style’.

Last year, about 16 lawmakers reportedly appended their signatures consenting to impeaching the Speaker, but he escaped the plot.

Already, an erstwhile Deputy Speaker of House, Oludaisi Elemide, has joined the speakership race and he is considered a major threat to Oluomo’s re-election.

Elemide, a loyalist of the former Governor Olusegun Osoba, stepped down for Oluomo to emerge as the Speaker unopposed during the inauguration of ninth legislature on June 10, 2019.

The three-time lawmaker, representing Odeda constituency, has the backing of some aggrieved lawmakers to unseat Oluomo, insiders told Daily Trust.

Other sources, however, said Oluomo had secured the buy-in of Governor Dapo Abiodun to return as the Speaker.

The 17 members-elect of APC had been divided by Oluomo and Elemide, leaving the PDP members to decide where the pendulum would swing on Tuesday.

Both Oluomo and Elemide are from Ogun Central, the region expected to produce the speaker in line with the zoning arrangement.

The Publicity Secretary of APC, Tunde Oladunjoye, has not responded to enquiry from our correspondent on the party’s position ahead of House of Assembly’s inauguration.

But the Spokesman of the PDP, Akinloye Bankole, said PDP members-elect”cannot, in good conscience support Oluomo as the speaker of the house.”

Bankole said Oluomo who is facing corruption charges lacks moral right to aspire to become the Speaker of the Assembly.

“Members elect on the platform of PDP cannot in good conscience support Mr. Oluomo as the speaker of the house. The leadership of our party is currently in consultation with other stakeholders as far as the composition of house leadership is concerned.

“Definitely, we shall act in the best interest of the good people of Ogun State,” he told our correspondent.

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