Olakunle Oluomo, the embattled Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, on Monday, appeared before an eight man ad-hoc committee set up to look into the allegations levelled against him by 18 of the 26 lawmakers.
Following a closed-door engagement with the Musefiu Lamidi-led ad-hoc committee, the impeached speaker faulted the composition of the committee, saying that five out of the eight-member committee are not eligible to be members.
According to him, the impeachment notice served on him by the House was not detailed and explanatory enough.
“They served me an invitation today after they have earlier given me notice of impeachment and I wrote back to them that the notice of impeachment is not detailed, what is highhandedness? What is lack of focus?
“The standing rule of the House said you should give me the details in writing, please I need more details, that was what I was expecting them to give me today,” Oluomo said.
While complaining that the notice given to him was short, Oluomo said he appeared before the committee out of the respect he has for the House being a long-serving member.
He said he told the committee that answering questions concerning the impeachment notice is prejudiuce because the case is already in court.
READ ALSO: Oluomo Challenges Removal As Ogun Speaker In Court, Hearing Fixed For February 7
Oluomo maintained that the House has not given him details of his offence or adequate time to respond as required by the 1999 Constitution.
Meanwhile, Oluomo, alongside two other principal career officers of the assembly, Dayo Samuel and Adeyemo Adedeji, were on Monday arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.
Oluomo and the duo were dragged before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged misappropriation of public funds running into N2.5 billion.
Shortly after the trio entered the dock, the court discovered that the counsel for the anti-graft agency could not make it to court.
The presiding judge, Justice Agatha Okeke, however, adjourned the case to February 29 and March 1.
The EFCC had in September 2022 arrested and later arraigned Oluomo for allegedly diverting N2.5 billion belonging to the Assembly, in suit no: FHC/AB/61C/2022.
He was arraigned alongside the Clerk of the House, Adeyemo, and the Director of Finance, Samuel.
The antigraft agency had accused the Speaker and others of forging receipts and signatures to divert billions of naira from the legislative house.
They were thereafter granted bail after pleading not guilty, even as they were asked to submit their travel documents at the court registry.
