After months of wrangling, the end is finally in sight for the political impasse in Ondo State, as members of the state House of Assembly on Tuesday agreed to suspend the ongoing impeachment process against the state deputy governor, Lucky Ayiedatiwa.
The lawmakers took the decision at a meeting with members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Also present in the meeting which held at the party’s national secretariat, Abuja, were members of the Aminu Bello Masari-led 9-man reconciliation committee, the party’s state chairman, Ade Adetimilehinm, and 18 of the 22 APC lawmakers led by the Speaker.
The deputy governor had been enmeshed in a crisis of trust with his boss, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, with impeachment threat by the State House of Assembly dangling loosely on his head.
Ayiedatiwa was recently served with notice of impeachment over allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office.
But the intervention of the national leadership of the APC under the leadership of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje appears to be paying off following the inauguration of the reconciliation committee to resolve the crisis.
Addressing a press conference after meeting behind closed door for about two hours on Tuesday, both the national chairman and Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Oladeji Olamide, confirmed the decision to suspend the impeachment process.
Addressing journalists on the outcome of the meeting, chairman of the reconciliation committee and former governor of Kastina State, Bello Masari, said the party’s national leadership met with all stakeholders, except the state governor, Akerededolu, noting that they were still efforts to see the governor.
“For now, the probe and impeachment process have been suspended to allow room for the committee to work. We met with all stakeholders, except for the governor who we are still making effort to see,” Masari said.
Also speaking, Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Olamide, noted that the Ondo lawmakers were in Abuja at the behest of the APC national chairman, Ganduje, and the reconciliation committee, just as he assured that the state assembly, as an arm of government, was ready to cooperate with the party.
He said, “We promised to work with the national chairman and the chairman of the reconciliation committee to find a lasting solution to the political crisis in Ondo State.
“We gave a promise that on our part, we are ready to cooperate as an arm of government with the party. At the same time, whenever they want to meet us, we will be of help to the committee. More importantly, we will allow the committee to do their work without hitches. Apart from that, we believe this is the only political solution that will be of help to resolve the crisis in Ondo State.”
For his part, national chairman of the party thanked all the stakeholders for allowing solution to the political impasse in the state, saying the decision by the lawmakers to ceasefire showed that they are democrats and committed party faithful.
Ganduje said, “First of all, I have to thank the speaker and his members of state assembly for honouring our invitation to have indepth discussion and receive an interim report from the reconciliation committee.
“We thank you for that. This is proof that you are real democrats, civilised and believe in conflict resolution. I have to thank everybody in the reconciliation committee which has experienced members, several senators, House of Representatives members and even the two-term governor of Katsina, Aminu Masari who joined us.
“I have to thank the State Assembly for agreeing to suspend the impeachment process and give room for political solution to the problem. As the reconciliation chairman has mentioned, they didn’t meet the governor and his deputy yet. But they met all the stakeholders. That was what warranted the meeting today.
“And now, having suspended the impeachment process, they have created a conducive environment to continue dialoguing. We believe that we will reach a political solution. APC, as a political party, is an institution that is indispensable to democracy.
“Therefore, apart from our basic function for recruitment of membership, elected officers and appointed officers, it is our responsibility to see that all the ethics of democracy are followed and crisis averted in our government, both at sub national level and at international level. It is a political crisis and we are a political institution. So there’s no way we can fold our arms and see that our children are fighting and d we allow them to go like that.”
