The Oyo State House Of Assembly Impeaches Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan for alleged gross misconduct.
Olaniyan was removed by members of the House of Assembly on Monday.
The action was carried out around 11:00 am by the lawmakers.
The report of the panel set up to investigate him was read by the Majority Leader of the House, Sanjo Adedoyin, from Ogbomoso.
The deputy governor was found culpable and indicted of all allegations and complaints levelled against him.
The Assembly approved Olaniyan’s removal from office leaning on section 188 (9) of the 1999 constitution (as amended).
Olaniyan was elected in 2019 on a joint ticket with the incumbent Governor Seyi Makinde on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party but recently defected to the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress in the state.
Lawal to supervise justice ministry, others
The lawmakers quickly approved the nomination of Adebayo Lawal as replacement.
Shortly after the approval, the state Chief Judge, Justice Munta Abimbola, also inaugurated Lawal as Olaniyan’s successor.
Olaniyan’s removal by the People’s Democratic Party-dominated House followed the recommendations of the seven-man panel raised by the Chief Judge to probe the allegations of financial recklessness, gross misconduct and insubordination among others levelled against Olaniyan.
Governor Seyi Makinde quickly nominated Lawal, a lawyer and the Chairman, Oyo State Housing Corporation, as the new deputy governor.
The nomination of Lawal, who had already been appointed by Makinde as his running mate for the 2023 governorship election, was quickly approved by the lawmakers.
Lawal, who is from the same Oke-Ogun area like his predecessor, hails from Kisi in the Irepo Local Government Area.
The new deputy’s nomination was contained in a letter by the governor to the lawmakers, which was presented at the plenary.
The lawmakers went on a short recess shortly after Olaniyan was removed as the deputy governor.
They later reconvened at about 12.15pm to consider the appointment of the new deputy governor.
The Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin, while reading the letter from the Executive, said it was in response to an earlier letter sent by the lawmakers to the governor dated July 18, informing him of Olaniyan’s impeachment.
