Edo lawmakers run to court to stop Senate takeover threat

In a bid to stop the Senate from carrying out its takeover threat, the Edo State House of Assembly, has run to an Abuja Federal High Court.

In a suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/815/2019, which the state assembly Speaker Francis Okiye, and members filed on Wednesday before the Justice of the court, Nkeonye Maha, they prayed him to restrain the National Assembly from going ahead with its plans pending the hearing on the matter.

The Nigerian Senate had recently asked the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki to within seven days issue a fresh proclamation for the inauguration of the state assembly.

The ultimatum came after the House of Representatives had earlier asked the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to shut the state assembly.

The development followed the crisis rocking the state assembly, in which some members loyal to the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, had claimed that they were not carried along when the governor inaugurated the house, and called on the federal lawmakers to intervene in the matter.

READ ALSO: EDO: Obaseki allocates portfolios to commissioners

But the governor had denied he secretly inaugurated some of the lawmakers loyal to him, and had refused to issue a proclamation for an inauguration that will involve all the lawmakers.

The defendants in the suit by embattled Edo lawmakers include Mohammed Sani-Omolori, the clerk of the national assembly (first defendant), and the national assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (second defendant).

The matter was first brought before Maha on July 23, but was later adjourned to July 31, for hearing since the parties were yet to be served.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Ola Olanipekun, the lead counsel to the plaintiffs, told the court that after the defendants had been properly served as ordered by the court, the Senate still went ahead and passed a resolution for the takeover of the assembly if the governor fails to comply with its resolution.

According to him, the defendants, through their lawyers, had on Tuesday served the plaintiffs a counter affidavit to their motion and written address and also filed a memorandum of conditional appearance.

He said it was disheartening that despite that the governor had already issued a proclamation which was duly gazetted officially and that the members of the state assembly had duly been inaugurated, principal members elected and the house has since been performing its functions, the federal lawmakers directed Obaseki to issue a fresh proclamation.

The matter was adjourned until August 7, to enable the complainants respond to the counter affidavit and written address filed by lawyers to the National Assembly.

 

 

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