Edo Assembly: Senate orders Obaseki to issue fresh proclamation

The Nigerian Senate, on Tuesday, July 30, gave a verdict on the crisis rocking the Edo state House of Assembly where an alleged minority number of members were inaugurated recently following a proclamation by Governor Godwin Obaseki.

The Senate, in its verdict, ordered the governor to issue a fresh proclamation for the inauguration of the seventh session of the Edo state House of Assembly.

 The red chamber also gave a week for its decision to be implemented by the governor as the president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said the legislative chamber was not in a rush to take over the activities of the state legislature.

 It would be recalled that the House of Representatives recently considered a motion urging its members to take over the functions of the Edo House of Assembly in line with the constitution.

This is according to the sponsors of the motion, to enable the proper inauguration of the Edo state assembly. The motion was brought by Julius Ihonvbere, Peters Akpatason and Johnson Oghuma during plenary by the House of Representatives.

In reaction, however, the government of Godwin Obaseki, on Thursday, July 18, said the House of Representatives erred in its decision asking security agencies to shut the Assembly.

The government also reminded the House of Representatives that the constitution has not given it the powers to shut down any state legislature.

Less than 24 hours before the decision of the Senate, Governor Godwin Obaseki had declared that he would not issue a fresh proclamation letter for the inauguration of the state’s House of Assembly.

Obaseki then argued that the Nigerian constitution mandated state governors to issue proclamation only once for the inauguration of the individual legislatures

 Now with the verdict upper legislative chamber, Obaseki would not have option rather abide by the bidding of the Senate.