Mr Frank Okiye, the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, has berated the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Adams Oshiomhole, of manipulating the National Assembly against the state governor, Godwin Obaseki.
Both the Senate and the House of Reps had respectively threatened to take over the state Assembly if the governor, Godwin Obaseki, did not issue a new proclamation for the inauguration of the Assembly.
Trouble started in the state when, on June 17, the governor inaugurated only nine of the 24 members of the Assembly, while two more were sworn in on June 22 totalling 11.
Speaking with newsmen on Thursday, Okiye, “What I believe is that he (Oshiomhole) is the one manipulating them to engage in practices they don’t have power to engage in, and it is against the law,” he said.
He said, “I have said it before on several occasions that we know who is beating the drum for them in the National Assembly. They have found themselves in the position of a stooge to make it look like they cannot think outside the box. It’s unfortunate.
READ ALSO: Insecurity: South West governors plan joint patrol
“The truth is that the Edo State Assembly and my office as the Speaker are not the real target of this crisis. In fact, I can’t find myself anywhere in the whole scheme. The plot is actually aimed at Governor Obaseki and stopping him from getting a return ticket as governor next year.
“Comrade Oshiomhole is actually after Obaseki; the state Assembly was only a smokescreen for his plans. The idea now is to take over the house, destabilise the state and possibly impeach the governor.”
Okiye explained that the members of the Edo Peoples Movement, whom he claimed were products of Oshiomhole, had boasted that they would ensure that Obaseki does not come back for a second tenure. “But I said to people that it is not the decision for them to make for our state,” he said. “We don’t know what Oshiomhole wants. Oshiomhole is the one behind Edo Assembly crisis and he is simply after Obaseki.”
He added, “We are in court; we have sued them and got two separate injunctions and we are going to cite all the cases in court on the pages of newspapers. The other 12 members-elect have also sued and challenged the legitimacy of my speakership.
“This means all the parties in this issue have cases in court already. We have a restraining order against the National Assembly, the security agencies, the party and their agents. So, why is the National Assembly trying to usurp the function of the court?”