ONDO State House of Assembly has ratified Governor Olusegun Mimiko's nomination of agriculture commissioner Alhaji Lasisi Oluboyo as the new deputy governor following the impeachment of Alhaji Ali Olanusi yesterday.
Yesterday, Alhaji Olanusi was impeached after the house found him guilty of gross misconduct and voted by 22 to four to have him removed from office. Alhaji Olanusi had been at loggerheads with Governor Olusegun Mimiko after the two fell out politically in the run-up to last month's presidential elections.
Both had been elected on the platform of the Labour Party but Governor Mimiko defected to the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), while his deputy opted for the All Progressives Congress (APC). Since then, the PDP had sought to remove the deputy governor from office, saying that he showed disloyalty to Governor Mimiko.
Ayo Fadaka, the director of publicity of the Ondo State chapter of the PDP, said: “Our party takes absolute cognisance of the impeachment of Alhaji Ali Olanusi as deputy governor and commends the house of assembly for its tenacity in prosecuting this action. It is important to declare that the parliament displayed its commitment to good governance that will be bereft of undue encumbrances by removing from office a man who not only discharge his responsibilities with levity and mostly in abeyance but also view with disdain his oath of office to bear true allegiance to the government he was an integral part of.
“This attitude is unbecoming of a senior citizen who should ordinarily serve as a shining example to younger generations who look up to him for inspiration. The concept of gubernatorial candidates having running mates as enshrined in the presidential system of government indicates that a governor must have loyal and trustworthy deputy that will view issues from the same perspective as his boss and work in unison with him in all ramifications."
He added that the moment Alhaji Olanusi decided to chart a new and independent course for himself, he should have honourably resigned from office. According to Mr Fadaka, rather the deputy governor began to nurse phantom ambitions of how he will covet the position of his boss, which was dishonourable and treacherous.
“With the impeachment of Olanusi and his replacement by Alhaji Lasisi Oluboyo, who until his appointment was a commissioner in the administration, government will continue to power on seamlessly and progress will continue in our state. We however want to assure the people of our state that peace will continue to reign here," Mr Fadaka added.
Yesterday, Alhaji Oluboyo’s confirmation took a short time after the speaker announced to members of the state house of assembly that he had been nominated by Governor Mimiko. He was later sworn-in by the Ondo State chief judge at an event attended by the chief imam of Akure Alhaji Abdulakeem Akorede.
