Following protracted crisis rocking the Edo State House
of Assembly, 15 lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the
24-member state House of Assembly, on Wednesday, held their plenary sitting in
the Edo State Government House, Benin City and impeached the deputy speaker of
the assembly, Honourable Festus Ebea.
The APC lawmakers, unlike their eight Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) colleagues, who were declined entrance into the assembly chambers on
Monday, did not show up at the assembly on Wednesday, but headed straight to
the old Executive Chamber in the Government House, where they held plenary.
The motion for the lawmakers to relocate to Edo State Government
House was occasioned by a motion of urgent public importance moved by
Honourable Philip Shaibu, the majority leader of the assembly.
Shaibu, who contended that the assembly was relocating temporarily
to Government House for legislating business, noted that there was ongoing
renovation at the assembly complex.
He said the facilities at the complex were vandalised by the
former deputy speaker and seven other lawmakers.
The majority leader noted that the renovation exercise would
hinder the lawmakers from carrying out their constitutional responsibilities.
The legislators, at the session, impeached the suspended deputy
speaker of the house, Honourable Ebea and elected Honourable Victor Edoror as
the new deputy speaker.
The impeachment was sequel to a motion that was moved by the
chief whip of the assembly, Honourable Foly Ogedengbe and seconded by
Honourable Patrick Asowerien.
Honourable Bamidele Oloruntoba moved the motion for the election
of Honourable Edoror as deputy speaker while Honourable Sunday Osazemwinde
seconded it.
Reacting to the development, the minority whip of the assembly,
Honourable Kingsley Ehigiamusoe, said “under the Assembly Rule Section 77, it
is quite explicit the way and manner the speaker and the deputy speaker can be
removed and under that rule, a petition must be signed by two-third majority of
the members, stating details of the allegations against the office holders.
“They are only 15 members and the speaker cannot vote. For them
to remove the deputy speaker, they must be 16. That was not done; no petition
was written against the deputy speaker and their sitting in Government House is
null and void, as there was no resolution that the plenary session of the
assembly should be moved to Government House.”
Also reacting, Honourable Emma Okoduwa said the action of the
APC lawmakers negated the constitutional provision that had to do with the
impeachment of a deputy speaker.
PDP lawmakers ask Oshiomhole to swear with Ogun
A new twist was, on Wednesday, introduced to the crisis rocking
the Edo assembly as lawmakers of PDP challenged their colleagues in APC and
Governor Adams Oshiomhole to join them at the palace of the Oba of Benin to
swear over allegations that they received bribe to impeach the governor and the
assembly speaker.
At a press briefing in Benin on Wednesday, the eight PDP
lawmakers accused the state government of blackmail, by inciting the youths and
market women against them.
Honourable Patrick Osayimwen, who spoke on behalf of his
colleagues, said it was unfortunate that the governor resorted to the current
tactics, after he invited him and Honourable Jude Ise-Idehen to his office on
May 10 and offered them millions of naira not to opt out of the APC merger but
they declined.
Osayimwen, who took time to explain the genesis of the crisis,
said “I did not collect 50, 30 or 10 million naira or a kobo from President
Goodluck Jonathan or anybody as alleged by the governor to join the PDP.
“As a proud Benin man who received inspiration passed on by my
late father, I want to appeal to his Royal Majesty, the Oba of Benin, the
Esogban of Benin Kingdom and all top palace chiefs to give me and the governor
an opportunity to come to the palace of our paramount leader to swear before
Ogun to validate the truth.
“I am prepared to swear before the gods of our land that if I
collected a kobo from PDP as an incentive to join the PDP, let the gods of our
land destroy me and my offsprings, but the Oba of Benin should continue to bless
and pray for me and my offspring if I am innocent.”
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Politics