The impeached Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, found himself in the dock at the Federal High Court in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, on Monday. Alongside him were two other officers of the state Assembly, Dayo Samuel and Adeyemo Adedeji, as they faced charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged misappropriation of N2.5 billion.
The fraud allegations stem from Oluomo’s tenure as Speaker in 2022. Additionally, 18 out of 26 lawmakers had signed for his impeachment on grounds of high-handedness, gross misconduct, arrogance, poor leadership style, lack of focus and transparency, and fostering division among members.
Despite these challenges, Oluomo has vowed to fight back, revealing that he has initiated legal proceedings against the Assembly members.
During the court proceedings on Monday, the absence of the EFCC’s counsel led to an adjournment of the case to the 29th of February and 1st of March by Justice O.O Okeke.
In a dramatic turn of events, journalists, including a DAILY POST reporter, were barred from the courtroom. The presiding judge, Justice Okeke, was approached by two officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) who instructed the reporter to leave based on orders from the Court Registrar.
Subsequently, the reporter sought clarification from the Acting Court Registrar, who denied issuing such instructions. He further summoned the NSCDC officer for questioning, during which the officer denied ordering the journalist out of the court, stating that he had only directed the reporter to meet the Registrar before covering the proceedings.
The incident has raised concerns about transparency and access to legal proceedings, prompting discussions about the role of the media in ensuring accountability and fairness in the justice system.
Daily Post