Dare Kadiri
The former Deputy Speaker, Dare Kadiri, who is representing Ijebu North II State Constituency alongside his Remo North counterpart, Solomon Osho have been suspended by the Ogun State House of Assembly.
The suspension followed the adoption of a resolution, during a plenary presided over by Speaker Olakunle Oluomo at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
According to the Speaker, “Order 6, Rule 19 (2) says that whereof a matter of privilege arises, it shall be taken into consideration immediately; in the note of that, I want to say that I received a resolution by appropriate number of members of this house raising issue of Privileges and it read thus”, Resolution 131/ OG/ 2022- suspension of some honourable members for the breach of the provision of the Legislative Houses (Power and Priviledges) Act, 2017.
“Having found to have severally and contentiously breach the Rights and Priviledges of the Ogun State House of Assembly and its Leadership, through violation of the provisions of Section 17 of Legislative Houses (Power and Priviledges) Act, 2017, the following Honourable member, Hon. Oluwadamilare Kadiri (Ijebu North II State Constituency) and Solomon Osho (Remo North Constituency) are hereby suspended from the House and its activities forthwith until further notice in line with the provisions of Sections 14 and 15 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Priviledges) Act, 2017.
“Since this has been signed by the appropriate number of people, it requires no vote or anything, so they stand suspended”.
Vanguard gathered that the decision to suspend the two lawmakers, was not unconnected with their roles in exposing the Speaker’s alleged fraudulent activities, resulting in his arrest and arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) last week.
The source disclosed that, “the Speaker has vowed to go after all those against him in the House. He addressed his people at Ifo that he is innocent (about EFCC charges) and will use all means to crush his opponents,” a source in the Assembly, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The source added that the Speaker was determined to fight back and this informed why he perfected arrangements with his supporters and suspended the two lawmakers.
It will be recalled that the EFCC, on September 6, 2022, arraigned Oluomo at a Federal High Court in Lagos on 11-count charge bordering on N2.475billion money laundering and forgery.
The court, presided by Justice Daniel Osiagor, later granted bail to the Speaker alongside the Clerk of the House, Taiwo Adeyemo, and the Assembly’s Director of Finance, Samuel Oladayo, who were arraigned as co-defendants on the same charge.
But on arrival at the Assembly complex last Friday after perfecting his bail condition, the Speaker maintained that he was innocent of the charges leveled against him.
On the other hand, Kadiri, who was impeached as Deputy Speaker, asked Oluomo to seek forgiveness from God over the various infractions in the House, adding that the Speaker failed to heed his several genuine warnings.