The Ondo State House of Assembly has refuted allegations of witch-hunting in its impeachment proceedings against the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Oshati Olatunji, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, clarified that their actions were not driven by a desire to persecute the Deputy Governor but rather to address allegations of misconduct.
Olatunji explained that the House received several petitions containing various allegations, which they are duty-bound to investigate. He emphasized that their objective is not to unfairly target anyone but to uphold accountability and transparency in the government.
“There are some allegations that borders on emotions, we don’t want to take it up emotionally, which by the time we finish our investigations we will be able to explain better. There are many allegations and it borders on misconduct.
“It is our duty that when you receive a petition, it is best thing for us to look into it. We have said it on several fora that we are not witch-hunting, we are just doing our job and our job is to investigate and by the time we finish the investigation the whole world will see. We are not after witch-hunting anybody; we are after sanitising the system.
ALSO READ: Korede Bello Addresses Concerns About His Mental State After Mohbad’s Passing
The accusations against the Deputy Governor encompass issues such as misappropriation and an alleged attempt to undermine the executive while the Governor was away. Olatunji stressed that Aiyedatiwa has the opportunity to defend himself against these allegations, and their intention is not to engage in a witch-hunt.
“There are about five allegations with us here that borders on misappropriation. Those were the allegations from the petition and it is left for him to defend himself. If he answers well, we are not after witch-hunting.
“The other one is about his intention to divide the executive when the governor was away and planning to impeach the governor which he at least needs to defend himself,” Olatunji said.
The impeachment process was initiated following the return of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu from his medical trip abroad. While there have been speculations implicating the Governor in the impeachment move, legal expert Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa disagreed with this notion.
Olatunji further revealed that the House has extended an invitation to the Deputy Governor, granting him a seven-day window to present his defense before the House.