Edo Assembly crisis: Members-elect want house inuagurated
Edo Assembly crisis: Members-elect want house inuagurated
By Joseph Ebitibi Kanjo, Benin City
Members-elect of Edo State House of Assmbly has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, leaders of the All Progressives Congress, and all well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, to with immediate effect issue letter of proclamation to enable the house function.
This, according to them was pertinent to avert serious constitutional crises in the state.
Nineteen out of the twenty-four members-elect, in a press briefing in Benin City, Monday, said other states in the country had all inuagurated their Houses of Assembly but Godwin Obaseki has deliberately refused that to happen in the state.
The nineteen members who were led by Barrister Washington Osa Osifo, stressed that all members elected into the House of Assembly are from the same political party.
“Whereas, all other states of the Federation of Nigeria have inuagurated their Houses of Assembly, Goodwin Obaseki has deliberately refused to allow the House of Assembly to function thus ursurping the power of the legislators.
“It is public knowledge that all the members-elect in Edo State are all of the same political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC)”, they added.
According to them, governor Godwin Obaseki has no power to impose individuals either as speaker, deputy speaker but can only lobby for his preferred candidates as witnessed recently at the National Assembly.
They stressed that, as members-elect of the state House of Assembly, they cannot be intimidated, saying, “we are ready to defend our democracy and the sanctity of the legislature.”
