Obaseki forces in disarray as police, DSS take over Edo assembly

The House of Representatives has asked Edo Gov. Godwin Obaseki to issue a fresh proclamation to convene the 9th House of Assembly in the state. Or the Parliament will take over the state legislature in seven days’ time.

And more: the police and the DSS have been ordered to seal off the state assembly until the governor complies.

That sounds like some technical knockout in the power play between Obaseki and his godfather and APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole.

Until July 17, the governor had earlier won the case in the court of public opinion where everything was summed up as Oshiomhole playing god in Obaseki’s administration—by trying to control his government, including the emergence of the APC dominated state assembly’s principal lawmakers.

Crisis however escalated when the governor, in collusion with the PDP opposition, swayed the House election, and installed an opposition member as Speaker—against the wish of the APC majority locked out of the election that took place in the night.

The House of Reps however set up an ad hoc committee headed by AbdulRasak Namdas to investigate issues surrounding the crisis rocking the assembly.

The report of the committee was submitted Wednesday and it was adopted by the committee of the whole chaired by Ahmed Wase.

Speaking on the report, Namdas disclosed how Obaseki issued the proclamation of the state’s ninth assembly two days after the House had already been sworn in.

Which was bad enough for a democracy.

The House therefore resolved as follow: “That the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, in the interest of peaceful coexistence of the State, should issue a fresh Proclamation within One (1) week in line with Section 105(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of. Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) stating the date, time and venue and publish in any National Daily and Television Station;

“That all actions taken by the 9th Assembly Members should be declared null and void pending proper inauguration;

“That all Members of the Edo State House of Assembly, both those who have been , inaugurated and those who have not been inaugurated should dissolve their factions in the interest of peace and stability of the House with the view to moving the State forward;

“That the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Director General (DG), Department of State Services should shut down the Edo State House of Assembly and provide adequate security to allay further fears of intimidation and threat as alleged by Members-elect;

“That where recommendations (1) (ii) and (iii) above fail, the National Assembly should invoke the Provisions of Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to take over the State House of Assembly until the situation normalizes.”

The decision of the committee of the whole was subsequently adopted by the House