Rauf Olaniyan, the Oyo State Deputy Governor, has been impeached by members of the State House of Assembly, on Monday, following allegations of misconduct and others levelled against him.
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.
In late June 2022, Olaniyan dragged the Oyo Assembly to court over the impeachment move against him by the lawmakers.
The judge ordered that the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, and the Clerk of the House be put on notice before he adjourned the matter to June 29.
However, on July 6, despite the order by the Oyo State High Court restraining the state House of Assembly from going ahead with the impeachment process against Olaniyan, the Assembly directed the Chief Judge of the state to set up a seven-man panel to investigate the allegation of gross misconduct against the deputy governor.
This was contained in a motion jointly moved by the Majority leader, Hon Sanjo Onaolapo, and Hon Akintunde Olajide during the plenary.
Meanwhile, in a judgment delivered on July 14, the judge held that the impeachment move initiated by the lawmakers had not violated the constitution in any way, thereby dismissing the suit.
The court said the lawmakers substantially complied with the provisions of Section 188 of the Constitution on the removal process.
The court gave the lawmakers the go-ahead to continue with the impeachment process.
