* state assembly members offered N1bn each
An atmosphere of anxiety is deepening in Oyo State over an alleged plot to impeach Governor Seyi Makinde ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
A credible source familiar with the development claimed that the move may be linked to powerful interests in the presidency, who are allegedly working behind the scenes to weaken the governor’s political influence in the state.
The source further revealed that prominent loyalists of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have allegedly enlisted the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, to open discussions with members of the Oyo State House of Assembly over a possible impeachment process in the coming weeks.
The source claimed that the sum of N1 billion had been earmarked for each lawmaker who agrees to support the impeachment. The funds, according to a The Verge Source, has been domiciled with one of the arrowheads of the plot in Ibadan.
The impeachment plot is said to be connected to efforts to position Senator Sarafadeen Abiodun Alli, a political ally of the Olubadan, as the preferred governorship choice in 2027.
Proponents of the alleged impeachment plot fear that plans to install Alli as governor in 2027 may be thwarted if Makinde remains in office and deploy the state’s influence to campaign for a candidate of his choice.
Already, the plan to ensure that Alli emerges as the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate through a consensus arrangement has also caused divisions within the ranks of Oyo APC, with some party leaders reportedly opposing the idea of a consensus arrangement said to favour him (Alli).
“The Olubadan has enlisted some members of the Assembly, led by the Speaker, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, for the hatchet job,” a source alleged, adding that some lawmakers had already been approached with financial inducements to back the move.
The plot may, however, face serious constitutional hurdles, as the impeachment of a governor requires the buy-in of he state’s Chief Judge and a two-thirds majority in the House of Assembly, a threshold that may be difficult to secure.
Alli
The unfolding crisis, if not contained, could plunge Ibadan and Oyo politics back into turbulent times reminiscent of the January 2006, when Ladoja himself was impeached as governor following a protracted feud with the late political godfather Chief Lamidi Adedibu, with backing from then-President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Efforts to get reaction from the Speaker, Ogundoyin proved abortive as repeated telephone calls to his line were ignored. Also, the Chief Press Secretary to the Olubadan, Chief Adeola Oloko could not be reached.
