Suspended speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Jumoke Akindele has said she had nothing to do with the misappropriation of N15m.

In a statement in Akure on Tuesday, the speaker said she was not a signatory to the cheques, even though she was a signatory to the House schedule.

She said, “I wish to place it on record that though I am the signatory to the schedule, I am not a signatory to the cheques of the House.

“I did sign the schedule in line with the budget passed by the House so that I do not hold up the business of the House in the likely event that I do not return from my journey early enough.

“Most certainly, I did not speak with the Director of Finance and Administration on the issue of cheques or any other matter at all, and I also did not speak with the Clerk.

“I did not ask the Pay Master, Mr Makanjuola Adeshina, who was unfortunately brutalised by some of my colleagues to bring any funds to my House.”

She claimed to be in Lagos when she received a call informing her that 14 lawmakers had changed the leadership of the House.

She also said the paymaster was acting in his official capacity by being in possession of unspent funds of the House.

She alleged that some PDP caucus members seemed more interested in proving their loyalty to the incoming administration in the state.

She said, “They are actively working hand in hand with their APC counterparts to destabilise what would have been one of the most peaceful transitions ever.

“They are desirous of becoming speaker and deputy speaker at all cost and are therefore playing to the gallery to show they are “disenchanted” with the outgoing governor.”

Akindele added that she was planning to resign since the emergence of the governor from the North District and the Deputy Governor from the South District.

She said, “We are a people with an age long tradition that demands that the Speaker must, of necessity, emerge from the Central District of Ondo State.

“I sustained this position because I owe it to Nigerians worried of the dangerous precedent that may be created if fraud, forgery and forceful takeover of this nature is allowed to prevail.

“It is disheartening that some of my honourable colleagues forged the signatures of five members to make up their list.

“The members whose signatures were forged have strenuously asserted that their signatures were forged and have stood with the leadership of the House since the beginning.”.