The Ogun State House of Assembly on Thursday passed a vote of no confidence in the state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Olamilekan Adegbite, over alleged misconduct.
The development followed a shouting match between the Deputy Speaker of the House, Olakunle Oluomo, and Adegbite, an architect, who is regarded as one of the closest aides of the governor.
The House had on Tuesday summoned Adegbite alongside three other commissioners, Adeleke Adewolu (Special Duties), Chief Jide Ojuko (Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs), and Ms Adenrele Adesina (Budget and Planning), over the poor state of rural roads across the state.
But while the Works Commissioner arrived the committee room of the House before 10am, the lawmakers came about one hour behind schedule and the “lateness” provoked altercation between the governor’s aide and the legislators.
At 12:07pm, Adegbite walked out of the Assembly complex, saying his meeting with the lawmakers had been rescheduled to “some other time.”
However, the lawmakers converged for their plenary at the Assembly chambers and deliberated on the matter before the House eventually took a position.
They said it was an affront on a separate arm of government, which incidentally screened and confirmed his appointment as member of the State Executive Council.
After the deliberations, the Speaker, Suraj Adekunbi, said the House would not condone disrespect and indiscipline from any quarter.
He said, “What we experienced this morning was a very bad one; I must be frank with you because whether we like it or not, nobody can do it all alone. We need the cooperation of everybody to move our state forward.
“Of course, my members, I’ve appealed to them severally even before they went for the session. I was begging them that we should do everything in the spirit of one government so that there won’t be any cause for this kind of things.
“I wouldn’t know what has come over our friend, because we used to address Architect Olamilekan as a friend of the House. But in a situation like this, honestly, I cannot contain that.”
The intervention of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Taiwo Adeoluwa, was rebuffed by the lawmakers who shouted “no” and rejected his attempt to speak on the floor of the House.
The Majority Leader, Yinka Mafe, subsequently moved the motion to pass no confidence vote in the commissioner and it was seconded by Tunde Sanusi.
Mafe said, “I rise up this afternoon to move a motion that given the totality of the submission of over two-third majority of members of this House and deriving its power from the provisions of the Constitution, Section 192, this noble House hereby resolve that in the opinion of the House, a vote of no confidence is hereby passed on the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Architect Olamilekan Adegbite, for his misconduct and being unfit and improper to be a commissioner.
“And this Honourable House hereby advise His Excellency, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, to immediately suspend the commissioner and cause him to hand over all the paraphernalia of office to the Permanent Secretary and cease to parade himself as a commissioner of Ogun State.”
