The 14 members-elect of the Edo State House of Assembly have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfill his promise of resolving the legislative impasse in the state, saying the time to act is now as the state governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki has crossed the red line and now a threat to democracy.
The Assembly members who are opposed to the governor’s inauguration of 10 out of the 24-member legislature said Obaseki cannot continue to carry on against the party and the symbol of democracy, the legislature, without being sanctioned.
Spokesman of the group, Washington Osifo, representing Uhunmwode State Constituency said it was time the president rein in the governor.
Meanwhile, Governor Obaseki Monday said the state House of Assembly remains opened to the members yet to be inaugurated and urged them to present themselves for inauguration. He also advised those till aggrieved to approach the courts for redress.
Reacting to a press conference in Abuja by the aggrieved 14 lawmakers, where they said Obaseki has crossed red line on the controversial inauguration of the House, the governor in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie said that the state was peaceful, as law-abiding citizens go about their lawful activities without any hindrance or disturbances.
Obaseki has crossed the red line
Osifo said, “We want to thank the President for the job he is doing for Nigerians. One thing that counts well for him as a man of integrity is that he has the courage to fight corruption. Corruption comes in many ways because when you brazenly stand on the head of democracy- that is the greatest form of corruption because it opens the window for people to do the wrong thing, just as it is in Edo where funds are wrongly deployed to fighting a cause that is needless just to realise a second term ambition.
“We want to call on him and also to remind him that this party promised change to the people. We came on the mantra of change and so in all that we do, we must have the consciousness that people are watching. How can it be said that an APC state is embarrassing the nation like this? It is not the intention of Mr President to run a government like this.
“Mr President we call on you to remember that you sent a message to the Edo parliament, yet to be inaugurated when our brothers in Bauchi State visited you some months ago, you told them that the reason why they were inaugurated was to defend the laws and constitution of Nigeria. That to subscribe to illegality would be a very wrong thing to do and through them you sent us a message that they should be men of honour.
“You sent another message to us that immediately your cabinet is inaugurated, the first assignment for your Attorney-General and Minister of Justice will be to look at the situation in Bauchi and Edo States with a view to resolving them. In your words, you said ‘I will summon the IGP to see to it that these wrongs are made right. The issue is that this madness in Edo must be corrected.
“Obaseki, the governor of Edo State has done manifest injustice to democracy. Obaseki has orchestrated something that is bringing actions that are alien to the people. We can imagine how the whole nation sees Edo. Today, everyone sees Edo state through the eyes of its head as if that is who we are. We are sorry, we apologise because that is not who we are.
“What is happening today is the quest for ambition that has been taken too far. In the words of Mr President, they have crossed the red line, but crossing the red line is one thing to say but not doing anything to stop or stem that tide is even more dangerous than crossing the red line.”
Edo assembly open to ‘aggrieved’ lawmakers
Obaseki through his Special Adviser, Media and Communication Strategy, Osagie said, “Edo State is peaceful. Law-abiding citizens are going about their lawful activities without hindrance or disturbance. We just finished hosting the National Festival for Culture and Arts, NAFEST, which the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo attended. We also hosted the Comptroller General’s Annual Conference of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS. These successful events held last week and captivated everyone in the state, who were all in a joyful mood while they lasted.
One, therefore, wonders in which universe the purported anarchy exists.”
“The lawmakers-elect are free to come forward for their inauguration. The Anthony Enahoro Complex is always open for them to walk in to get inaugurated and represent their people.
“The issue of proclamation and the authenticity of the June 17 inauguration has been settled by a court Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt ruling, which upheld the actions taken by the Edo State governor and restrained him from issuing any other such proclamation. As a law-abiding government, the state has respected that judgment.
“What is expected from an aggrieved person is for him or her to go to court for redress, which is what the state has done in the first instance.
“It is rather unfortunate that instead of approaching the courts, the aggrieved lawmakers are resorting to threats and appeal to emotion. We just want to call on them to present themselves for inauguration and stop dragging the good name of the state in the dust in the quest for their selfish interests,” he added.
