The ongoing move to impeach the embattled Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, suffered a fresh setback yesterday, following the invasion of the Assembly complex by suspected political thugs.

The Nation reports that the development heightened tension within the legislative complex and forced the lawmakers to suspend the impeachment plot, as they held a strategic meeting over the unfolding crisis.

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The suspected thugs, about 15, were said to have stormed the Assembly in a bus, creating panic among lawmakers and workers of the parliament.

A worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our reporter that the thugs gained access to the complex through the parliamentary wing and moved around offices occupied by lawmakers.

He said the presence of the thugs created fears among workers, with some seeking refuge in offices and other parts of the complex.

“I had to hide inside the toilet when I heard their voices. They were speaking loudly and moving from one office to another.

“They were many. I could count about 15. They were also discussing the political crisis in the Assembly,” he said.

It took the intervention of the policemen drafted from ‘A’ Division Police Station in Akure to drive the political thugs out of the Assembly complex.

One of the legislators, who preferred to be anonymous, accused the Speaker of sending the suspected thugs to prevent the plenary from being held.

”The Speaker sent thugs to the Assembly to attack us. But he was disappointed as we sent them out. We did not hold plenary again. We will still meet to impeach him,” he alleged.

The Speaker denied sponsoring the thugs to the Assembly.

Oladiji said those who came to the Assembly complex were members of his constituency, who came to visit him.

“I have about three of my youth leaders that I invited to come and pick forms for recruitment, but they don’t know what is going on in the House of Assembly.

“Just three of them and some of the members approached them and asked them the reason they were at the House of Assembly. They said they are not new and have been coming to the House of Assembly, but the lawmakers insisted that they don’t want to see them on the premises.

“I came out from my office, and I tried to pacify the lawmakers that the visitors are my constituents that have been coming to the House of Assembly and they have not harassed any member of the House of Assembly, but they said they didn’t want them and asked them to leave,” Oladiji said.

He denied any disturbance to the peace of the Assembly, noting that the ploy to impeach him has been laid to rest.

“There is nothing like impeachment process because the issue has been have resolved, there is no impeachment.

“Mr Governor (Aiyedatiwa) and other leaders of the party have already intervened. Today we are supposed to have our parliamentary meeting,” the Speaker said.

But in a counter-reaction, the Chairman of House Committee on Information, Olatunji Fabiyi, said the impeachment of the embattled Speaker is non-negotiable.

Fabiyi added that the aggrieved lawmakers would “definitely” go ahead with the removal of Oladiji from office.

‎”We have been hearing news that we have discontinued the process. This is a lie. This is misinformation.

“We are still on it; he can’t be our Speaker again. Although the governor has been speaking with some of us, this does not stop the impeachment, there is no going back,” he said.

‎The latest invasion occurred against the backdrop of a brewing leadership crisis in the House, where some lawmakers are pushing for the removal of Oladiji as the Speaker.

The development came as lawmakers remained divided over the impeachment of Oladiji, with the crisis deepening despite interventions by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Recall that Oladiji, who is facing impeachment threats over allegations of mismanaging N44 million released by Ondo State Oil-Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), claimed the move against him was politically-motivated rather than driven by concerns over his leadership.

The lawmakers have previously insisted that their decision to remove the Speaker was an internal legislative matter and accused the governor of interfering in the process.

They had also accused the governor of shielding the Speaker from removal, insisting that the decision to impeach him was “non-negotiable.”

In July, 21 of the 26 lawmakers signed an impeachment notice against Oladiji over allegations bordering on financial misconduct and abuse of office.( The Nation)