Oyo: End Of Road For Deputy Governor, Olaniyan

By Akinwale Kasali

The Deputy Governor of Oyo state Rauf Olaniyan has been impeached by the state house of Assembly.

He was removed from office during plenary by the assembly on Monday.

His removal followed a protracted crisis of confidence between him and Governor Seyi Makinde.

The feud came to a head after the deputy governor defected to the APC from PDP the ruling party in the Pacesetter’s state.

The Assembly had issued him an impeachment notice earlier last month for gross misconduct and abuse of office.

Olaniyan later went to the state high court challenging the assembly’s power to impeach him.

The court turned him down. On June 7, the court gave the Assembly  the green light by rejecting the deputy governor’s plea to stop the impeachment.

It was on the basis of the ruling that the Assembly directed the state Chief judge to set up a committee to probe  him of  allegations of gross misconduct.

At the Plenary today Monday, the lawmakers  unanimously removed Olaniyan after the adoption of the report of the seven-man panel constituted by the chief judge to investigate him.

Olaniyan came into office on a joint ticket with  Governor Makinde in 2019 on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP.

Not long after, the duo parted ways over the control of the soul of the party in the state.

Just few days ago, a source in Agodi Government House, told the magazine that the duo was involved in a hot confrontation, where the Deputy Governor accused Makinde of orchestrating his impeachment.

“The  confrontation was so much that the Deputy Governor described Makinde as an oil bunkerer  who’s doing everything he wants with government funds,” he said.

He later told the magazine after the impeachment that ” with the impeachment peace will now return to the State Executive Council, SEC.”

The majority leader of the Assembly, Honourable Sanjo Adedoyin, said the deputy governor was found culpable of all allegations levelled against him.

The Assembly approved Olaniyan’s removal from office leaning on section 188(9) of the 1999 constitution (as amended).

Meanwhile, the magazine learnt that Governor Makinde has already forwarded the name of Bayo Lawal, a commissioner in the state to the Assembly for approval to become the next Deputy Governor.