A fresh political storm has erupted in Ondo State as a civil society organisation, Ondo State Concerned Youth for Good Governance, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Adesanmi Oladiji, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Gbegudu Ololade, and the Clerk of the House, Jayeola B.T., Esq., of allegedly forging the signatures of lawmakers to fraudulently secure approval for a controversial ₦70 billion budget adjustment.
In the petition dated July 27, 2026, and addressed to the Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC’s Ado-Ekiti Zonal Directorate, the group, through its counsel, Abel Kosoko, Esq., urged the anti-graft agency to immediately investigate what it described as a coordinated abuse of legislative powers and a calculated assault on democratic governance.
The petition alleged that on December 11, 2025, the three principal officers of the Assembly conspired to forge the signatures of members of the House in order to pass an amended budget of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) without the knowledge, participation or approval of the lawmakers.
According to the petition, the disputed document was presented as a House Resolution bearing Reference Number ODHA/98/253/271, titled “Request for House of Assembly Resolution to Amend and Re-direct Certain Line Items in the 2025 Approved OSOPADEC Budget.”
The petitioners maintained that no valid plenary session or legislative sitting was held before the purported resolution was adopted, insisting that the resolution was manufactured outside the constitutional legislative process.
They further alleged that while the names of all members of the Ondo State House of Assembly appeared on the resolution, their signatures were fraudulently forged to create the false impression that the lawmakers participated in and approved the budget amendment.
The group claimed that, apart from the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and the Clerk, no other member of the Assembly attended any sitting on the date the resolution was allegedly passed.
According to the petition, the controversial resolution was subsequently used to alter and redirect the OSOPADEC budget, paving the way for the appropriation of about ₦70 billion without legislative approval.
The petition argued that the 2025 OSOPADEC Adjusted Recurrent Expenditure Detail ought to have undergone proper legislative scrutiny, debate and voting by members of the House before any approval could lawfully be granted.
It maintained that parliamentary procedures were completely ignored, alleging that lawmakers were denied the opportunity to examine individual budget items or express their positions before the document was allegedly endorsed.
The petitioners described the action as a deliberate manipulation of the legislative institution for financial purposes, accusing the Assembly leadership of conspiring to undermine constitutional governance through forgery and fraudulent appropriation.
They urged the EFCC to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the allegations, insisting that only a thorough forensic probe would determine the authenticity of the disputed documents and ensure accountability in the management of public funds.
According to the group, an investigation would not only establish the truth behind the allegations but also strengthen public confidence in the integrity of democratic institutions in Ondo State.
The latest petition comes amid an escalating political crisis in the Ondo State House of Assembly.
Last week, no fewer than 21 lawmakers reaffirmed their determination to impeach Speaker Oladiji despite alleged efforts by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to halt the move.
The lawmakers accused the Speaker of financial misconduct, including the alleged misappropriation of ₦44 million linked to OSOPADEC, and insisted they had already secured the constitutionally required signatures to commence impeachment proceedings.
Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Olatunji Fabiyi, who spoke on behalf of the lawmakers, disclosed that the Speaker had been given a seven-day ultimatum to resign or face impeachment, stressing that 21 of the Assembly’s 26 members had endorsed the impeachment notice and that the Speaker had lost the confidence of the overwhelming majority of the House.