Oyo State deputy governor, Rauf Olaniyan has failed, his bid to stop the State House of Assembly from an ongoing impeachment process against him.

In a court judgment on Thursday, the State High Court, sitting in Ibadan dismissed a suit  filed by Olaniyan to stall the impeachment process instituted by the State House of Assembly.

The lawmakers had last month initiated an impeachment move against Olaniyan.

DIPLOMATIC DIARY recalls that 24 out of the 32 members of the State House of Assembly had in a petition accused Olaniyan of “gross misconduct, abuse of office, financial recklessness, abandonment of office, official duty, insubordination and other offences.”

 “This process, according to petitioners, is in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended in 2011. Section 188″, the petition read in part.

While Olaniyan responded to all the allegations raised in the petition through his legal counsel, Chief Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), he subsequently instituted a suit against the lawmakers, the Clerk, and the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, to challenge the move to oust him.

He asked the Court to stop the Oyo State House of Assembly from continuing the process of impeachment against him.

But in a judgment  on Thursday, Justice Ladiran Akintola,  held that the House of Assembly has not breached the provisions of the constitution on the removal of governor or deputy governor.

According to the court, the lawmakers  have substantially complied with the provisions of Section 188 of the Constitution on the removal process.

Dismissing the suit, the court held  that the originating summons filed by the claimant was purely legislative procedure and not judicial.