Ondo Assembly crisis: Police disrupt proceedings, attempt to seal off premises

The ongoing crisis in the Ondo State House of Assembly on Thursday took a new dimension as the State’s Police Command attempted to seal off the Assembly complex.
The Police in Akure had stormed the Assembly complex in an attempt to prevent break down of law and order, while a faction of the lawmakers was holding plenary.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the security agent, led by the state’s Commissioner of Police, Hilda Ibifuro-Harrisson, also disrupted a meeting of the staff of the Assembly and ordered them out.
However, the situation became chaotic when the lawmakers, who were still in the chamber, refused to vacate the premises.
The police also had a hectic time controlling a number of hoodlums, who had converged on the assembly complex.
Subsequently, the police resorted to the use of tear gas to disperse the unruly crowd and thereby denied journalists and others access to the assembly premises.
The factional lawmakers had earlier dissolved all standing committees of the House during a plenary session presided over by its Acting Speaker, Malachi Coker.
The factional acting Majority Leader, Olamide George, also moved to nominate Iroju Ogundeji, the member representing Odigbo 1 Constituency, as their spokesman, while Kazeem Suleiman, representing Akoko South West constituency 1, seconded the motion.
The lawmakers unanimously accepted the nomination of Ogundeji as the spokesman for the House.
The House also announced that all staff of the Assembly should resume their duties and subsequently called for a meeting with them.
All efforts to speak on the telephone with the State’s Police Public Relations Officer, Femi Joseph, proved abortive as calls put on his line were not going through.
NAN could not speak with any of the factional lawmakers, who refused to leave the hallowed chamber as at the time of filling this report.
The crisis had followed the suspension of the embattled Speaker of the State’s House of Assembly, Jumoke Akindele, as a result of alleged fraud.
NAN.