By Our Correspondent
The Court of Appeal in Akure, Ondo State, has reinstated Hon. Iroju Ogundeji as the Deputy Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, four years after the end of his tenure.
The reinstatement follows a unanimous decision by Justices Oyebisi Folayemi Omoleye, Frederick Oziakpono-Oho, and Yusuf Alhaji Bashir, who upheld a previous ruling by Justice Akintan Osadebey.
Ogundeji, who represented the Odigbo constituency, was initially suspended and removed from his position as Deputy Speaker by the Assembly led by former Speaker Hon. David Bamidele Oleyeloogun.
He completed the rest of his term under suspension. Dissatisfied with his removal, Ogundeji, through his lawyer Oluwanike Omotayo, challenged the decision in court.
The court found that the Assembly’s actions violated constitutional procedures, particularly the requirement for a two-thirds majority vote for the removal of a principal officer.
Additionally, the court noted that Ogundeji was not given a fair hearing, as his impeachment was executed before any investigative panel was established, and that the impeachment process lacked proper parliamentary resolution.
As a result, the court declared Ogundeji’s removal as Deputy Speaker illegal and ordered his immediate reinstatement, along with the payment of all his entitlements.
The court also nullified the appointment of Ogundeji’s successor, Aderoboye, and awarded N10 million in damages to Ogundeji for the hardship caused by his wrongful impeachment and suspension.
The Assembly’s appeal against this ruling, led by then Attorney General Titiloye Charles, was dismissed by the appellate court, which upheld the lower court’s decision and ordered the Assembly to comply with the reinstatement and compensation directives.
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