Edo Assembly crisis: Reps extend ultimatum to Obaseki •Gov gets three weeks three more weeks to publish, date, time, venue of inauguration •Benin Elders back him on proclamation letter

Edo Assembly crisis: Reps extend ultimatum to Obaseki

•Gov gets three weeks three more weeks to publish, date, time, venue of inauguration •Benin Elders back him on proclamation letter

 

 

The House of Representatives is forging ahead with its plan to take over the Edo State House of Assembly should Governor Godwin Obaseki fail to issue a fresh proclamation for the convening of the legislature.

The Green chamber of the National Assembly said yesterday that the governor now has three more weeks to do the needful.

It first gave the governor a one-week ultimatum, which Obaseki dismissed as a mere threat.

He dared the Reps to come to Benin and make good their intention.

Speaking to reporters in Abuja yesterday, a member of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee on Media and Publicity, Hon. Yusuf Gaji, said the House needed to harmonise the reports of the two chambers of the National Assembly on the Edo and Bauchi Houses of Assembly first before taking the next step.

Gaji spoke on a day the Committee of Benin Elders expressed support for Governor Obaseki on the situation in the Edo State House of Assembly.

The Benin Elders declared that the intervention by the House of Representatives at this stage is premature and unwarranted.

.Gaji said: “We gave one week upon which the governor should act, failure of which we would invoke Section 11(4) of the Constitution that donates power to the House of Representatives to do the needful whenever there is crisis.

“But be that as it may, if you look at the report on Bauchi investigation, there was one item that was added to that of Bauchi: that the House should transmit its recommendations to the Senate.

“In a situation where there are two committees put in place by the House and the Senate, I think the positions need to be put together by the two organs of the National Assembly before any other thing.

“That was why Bauchi gave one month and Mr. Speaker equally ruled that they (Edo State Assembly) should be treated the same way.

“The report of Edo too should be harmonised with that of the Senate, after which we will wait and see if the position of the Senate concurs with that of the House.

“And within the period, from the day the Senate takes position on these two states, and the governors refuse to act in that direction, definitely we are going to employ the service of Section 11(4) of the Constitution.”

Recall that the House through an ad hoc committee, headed by Hon. Abdulrasak Namdas had threatened over a week ago that the National Assembly will take over the functions of the Edo State House of Assembly should the Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and members of the 7th Edo House not meet three conditions. The conditions are yet to be met

Benin Elders back Obaseki’s proclamation letter to Edo Assembly

However, the Committee of Benin Elders yesterday said Governor Obaseki was in order with his proclamation letter for the inauguration of the 7th Edo State House of Assembly.

The Committee of which a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Prof. Emmanuel Emovon is a member, said they were dismayed by the “political crisis arising from the Edo State House of Assembly involving some political leaders and the Executive Governor.”

According to them, the governor has issued a proclamation letter and forwarded same to the Clerk of the House of Assembly.

They added: “Under the relevant provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), such proclamation once made remains effective.

“This should be distinguished from the inauguration of members of the House, which in our view is the responsibility of the Clerk of the House.

“Any dispute arising from inauguration can be resolved by resort to the Judiciary in line with proper democratic practice, which process we are informed, is already ongoing.

“In the circumstance, this Committee feels that the intervention by the House of Representatives at this stage is premature and unwarranted. This is more so when it is clear from the express wording of Section 11 (4) of the Constitution that any intervention in the affairs of any State House of Assembly should be by the joint action of the two Houses of the National Assembly.”

They commended what they called Obaseki’s giant strides in ensuring growth and development in the state.

The elders urged actors in the ensuing political crisis to desist from actions which they said could be detrimental to good governance and the state.

“We feel that the ongoing political crisis is an unfortunate distraction which should be resolved amicably such that it does not disturb the peace and development of the state,” they said.

They noted that any intervention from outside the state should be aimed at a peaceful resolution rather than escalation of the crisis, urging political actors to remove personal interest and only propagate what their constituents genuinely desire which is for peace and development to reign.

“We, therefore, opine that the Governor should be given a peaceful atmosphere to develop the state as he has not deviated from that sacred mandate. We, therefore, call on all concerned to exercise the needed restraint and allow peace to reign in the interest of all,” they added.

Following the governor’s issuance of the proclamation for the inauguration of the assembly, some members were sworn in on June 17 and elected Mr. Frank Okiye as Speaker.

His election was disputed by the majority of the 24 members of the assembly who said they were deliberately excluded from the inauguration of the assembly and election of the speaker.

The situation is causing tension between the governor’s camp and that of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

The two men met face to face, shook hands and even exchanged banters at the Presidential Villa Abuja, on Wednesday at the Presidential Policy retreat.

Many had thought that the Abuja meeting would settle their face-off, but with the fresh threat from the House of Representatives yesterday, it seems the war is far from over.