Drama as defected lawmakers suspend Edo Speaker There was a drama at the Edo State House of Assembly on Tuesday following a counter suspension of the Speaker, Uyi Igbe, the Majority Leader, Philip Shaibu, and six others by the Deputy Speaker, Festus Ebea, and three other lawmakers, who were suspended on Monday. The four suspended members and five others had on Tuesday morning broken through the entrance of the chambers, moved and adopted a motion for the suspension of the Speaker, the Majority Leader and six others without the mace. Following the twist, a confrontation ensued between security agencies and some thugs, who tried to gain entry into the Assembly Complex. This forced security agents to fire tear gas canister, amidst sporadic shooting in the air to disperse the crowd. Earlier, a group of PDP supporters had stormed the Nigerian Union of Journalists’ Press Centre in Benin, to protest the suspension of the four legislators. The group alleged that the suspension of the defected lawmakers was an infringement on their constitutional rights. As of the time of filing in the reports, there was a heavy presence of the police, SSS and men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, at the premises of the Assembly Complex. However, the Speaker of the House, Igbe, described the “suspension” as laughable. Uyi, while briefing journalists in Benin, noted that the suspended members broke into the hallowed chambers and tried to dispossess the Clerk of the House, Robert Ogini, of the mace but failed. In spite of this, he said they decided to carry on “with the illegal sitting where they announced the suspension.” The state House of Assembly had suspended Ebea, and three other members of the House on grounds of misconduct on Friday. Addressing newsmen at the Anthony Enahoro Assembly Complex in Benin, on Friday, the Chairman, Youths, Sports and Information of the House, Adjoto Kabiru, said that the suspension of the Deputy Speaker became inevitable owing “to his arrogance, dictatorship and disrespect for the office of the Speaker of the House, Uyi Igbe. “The Deputy Speaker, Honourable Festus Ebea, has become so arrogant and dictatorial that he no longer sees the office of Mr. Speaker as one. “He has created a parallel leadership and that leadership is aimed at destabilising Edo State House of Assembly; impeaching Mr. Speaker and the Comrade Governor. That, to a large extent, amounts to misconduct,” he said. On the suspension of the three other members of the House: Patrick Osayimwen, Oredo East; Friday Ogieriakhi, Orhionmwon South and Jude Idehen, Ikpoba-Okha, Kabiru alleged that the law-makers, who had on May 19 dumped the APC for the PDP, had been involved in financial racketeering with a view to persuading other members of the House to follow suit. Also, the Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, had on Monday said that the four defected lawmakers were given N50m each to “sell their mandates.” But the four defected lawmakers have described the allegation as fallacious. The affected lawmakers told newsmen on Tuesday in Benin that the bribery allegation was false and baseless. The spokesperson for the group, Ebea, said that they had, on the contrary, been offered money by Governor Adams Oshiomhole, which they refused. “I was offered money twice through the former Majority Leader by Mr. Governor. But I refused. “The money, which they said was meant for me, but I refused to take, is still with the former Majority Leader. I wish them well,” he said. Copyright PUNCH.
Posted on: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 06:17:22 +0000
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