House of Representatives, yesterday, refused request to formally assume the functions of the Edo State House of Assembly.
The House, instead, resolved to set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the crisis that had engulfed the assembly.
The resolution was reached at yesterday’s plenary, after considering a motion sponsored by Julius Ihonvbere, Peter Akpatason and Johnson Oghuma.
Meanwhile, Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Mr Frank Okiye, has condemned the move by the House of Representatives to dabble into the affairs of the Edo State House of Assembly.
According to the Speaker, the Edo House of Assembly was duly inaugurated on June 17, 2019 and since then the business of law-making has been going on without any hindrances.
According to him, “May I remind the leadership of the House of Representatives that apart from the fact that the Edo Assembly complied with the Nigerian constitution in the inauguration of the House, there also exists a court order, ordering the National Working Committee of All Progressives Congress, APC, Inspector-General of Police, IGP, the Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, all defendants, their servants and agents, not to interfere, disrupt or obstruct the constitutional duties of members of the Edo House of Assembly.”
Moving the motion in the House of Reps, Ihonvbere highlighted the issues and prayed the House to, in the light of “Section 11 (4) of the 1999 Constitution take over the affairs of Edo State House of Assembly and ensure the proper inauguration of the House, with the IGP and the Director-General, Department of State Service DSS, providing the necessary security for the 24 members-elect to be sworn-in as expected and required by law.”
Other members took turn to speak on the motion, but ruling, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, agreed to the constitution of the committee.
The committee, yet-to-be inaugurated was also given the responsibilities of investigating the matter and reconciling the aggrieved parties..
