Suspected thugs on Thursday invaded the Ondo State House of Assembly complex as tension continued to rise over the impeachment proceedings against the Speaker, Olamide Oladiji.
The incident happened in the morning while the political crisis surrounding the leadership of the Assembly remained unresolved.
The development reportedly caused anxiety among workers and lawmakers within the legislative complex.
Staff members of the Assembly told Daily Trust that the suspected hoodlums were believed to have arrived from Ondo town, which is part of the Speaker’s constituency.
The men reportedly moved from one office to another within the complex. Their presence reportedly raised concerns among workers who were unsure of their purpose for being on the premises.
The situation was eventually brought under control after the intervention of lawmaker Olajide Oguntodu, other members of the Assembly and security personnel.
The suspected thugs were subsequently removed from the premises.
The incident has added a fresh security dimension to the leadership crisis in the Assembly, which has already generated political tension in the state.
The impeachment move against Oladiji is linked to allegations of financial misconduct and abuse of office.
Some lawmakers have accused the Speaker of being involved in the handling of about ₦44 million connected to the reordering of the 2026 budget of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, OSOPADEC.
The allegations have not been proven against the Speaker.
Oladiji has repeatedly rejected the claims and described the move against him as politically motivated.
The crisis became more serious in July when 21 of the 26 members of the Assembly reportedly backed an impeachment notice against the Speaker.
The lawmakers had demanded that Oladiji resign or face removal from office.
The Speaker, however, maintained that he had done nothing wrong and insisted that he had no intention of resigning.
In a statement issued through his office on July 27, Oladiji dismissed reports suggesting that he was preparing to leave office.
“The attention of the Office of the Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, has been drawn to a sensationalized, malicious, and entirely fabricated report, alleging an ongoing leadership crisis, an impending impeachment threat, and a contemplated resignation over an alleged N44 million OSOPADEC fund,” the statement said.
The Speaker also insisted that there was no leadership crisis in the 10th Ondo State House of Assembly.
“We state unequivocally, without an atom of ambiguity, that Rt. Honourable Olamide Oladiji never contemplated resigning, nor is there any leadership crisis within the 10th Ondo State House of Assembly,” he said.
The House Committee on Information had earlier indicated that the lawmakers pushing for Oladiji’s removal were determined to pursue the matter.
On August 6, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Fabiyi, said the lawmakers were waiting for the APC leadership before taking further action on the Speaker’s removal.
“We are still waiting for the leadership of the party. We cannot proceed further until the party gives us direction, so the matter is pending,” Fabiyi said.
He explained that the party’s intervention was necessary because all 26 members of the Assembly belong to the APC.
Fabiyi also maintained that the lawmakers remained committed to changing the leadership of the House.
However, there was no immediate official statement from the Ondo State House of Assembly explaining who brought the suspected thugs to the complex or what they intended to do there.
The identity of the men was also not immediately established.
Recall that Politics Nigeria reported on July, that Ondo State House of Assembly Speaker, Olamide Oladiji, had rejected reports that he was preparing to resign amid the impeachment pressure against him.
The Speaker described the reports as false and denied allegations of financial misconduct involving OSOPADEC.
At the time, Oladiji argued that the allegations were part of an attempt to create tension around the Assembly. He also maintained that there was no leadership crisis within the legislature.
The development came after lawmakers had raised questions over the handling of funds linked to the reordering of the OSOPADEC budget.
The disagreement had already produced divisions among members of the Assembly, with a majority of lawmakers backing efforts to remove the Speaker.
Oladiji later gave a different explanation for the pressure against him.
In an interview reported on July 30, he alleged that some lawmakers were opposed to his return as Speaker in 2027.
He also expressed confidence that the dispute would be settled through the intervention of APC leaders.
“We have the leader of the party in the APC, and they are trying to intervene. We have a way of settling our issues,” Oladiji said.
He added that several meetings had already been held to address the disagreement.
“We have been attending a series of meetings and, by the grace of God, in another one week, it will become a thing of the past.”
However, the lawmakers involved in the impeachment effort rejected the Speaker’s explanation.
