Edo Assembly Boils As Speaker Faces Impeachment

— The Obaseki, Shaibu, Oshiomhole’s Connection

By Honours Akhigbe

On Monday, August 14, 2017, the leadership of the Edo State House of Assembly was removed in an uncivilized manner that attracted strong condemnations from Edo people and indeed most Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora.

Rt. Hon. Dr. Justin Okonobo was toppled as the House Speaker while Alhaji Kabiru Adjoto was brought in as replacement. A former speaker, Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror was appointed the deputy speaker.
The emergence of the new leadership of the state assembly received several criticisms from a wide spectrum of well-meaning Edo State indigenes who felt that the crude method adopted to impeach the former speaker was highly uncivilized and undemocratic.

Besides, not a few people in the state including traditional rulers from the three senatorial districts frowned at the disruption of the political structure of balancing the political tripod of the state which the ruling-APC government at the state level had balance at a high price.
Thus, the emergence of Rt. Hon. Kabiru Adjoto was strongly criticized because he prevented Edo Central Senatorial District from emerging as the House Speaker.
The political structure in the state had been that each of the three senatorial districts (Edo South, Edo Central and Edo North) will have to occupy the positions of the Governor, Deputy Governor and speaker of the EDHA.

But under the present dispensation in the state, the governor is from Edo South while both the deputy governor and the state assembly speaker are from Edo North, thus leaving out Edo Central without a representative in the three most important political positions in the state.
Investigations revealed that since his assumption of office as the state assembly speaker, Rt. Hon. Adjoto has been under intense pressure to relinquish the position for a qualified member from the Edo Central axis of the state to balance the political landscape of the state.

As a result of this, Rt. Hon. Adjoto it was learnt has never lowered his guard with his eyes and ears on his colleagues particularly, his deputy, Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror whom he carefully sidelined in the scheme of things. Recalled that Alhaji Adjoto, played a prominent role in the impeachment of Rt. Hon. Edoror as speaker in 2016.

“The Speaker (Rt. Hon. Adjoto) is fully aware that Victor Edoror had never for once removed his eyes from the exhalted speakership position. As a result of this, it has been a cat and rat situation between the two leaders and the speaker always view the activities of his deputy with great suspicion.

“But they were able to keep outsiders out of their political game, until recently when a gift from Governor Obaseki removed the lid cover of the drum of cold war between the speaker and his deputy.

“Some members of the House alleged that the state governor had sent a financial gift to the members in appreciation of their support and cooperation with his administration.
“But the speaker was said to have over-delayed in disbursing the ‘gift’ to the members which necessited one of them to report the matter to the state Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu for intervention.

“This situation didn’t quite go down well with the speaker who during the Monday’s Executive Session meeting of the principal officers of the House, accused his colleagues of leaking the house’s information to people outside the assembly.

“The accusation led to shouting match and confrontation among the members who reportedly threw down some objects in the speaker’s office as well as the smashing of the phone of one of Honourable members.

“But unfortunately, as the commotion was still on, Edoror threw bombshell at the speaker by asking him about the largesse from the state Government House.
“It was at this point that the speaker took the matter personal with Edoror and accused him of being the one leaking information about the House to outsiders. He also called him a blackship in the House.

“Other members, though had taking sides, were able to calm frayed nerves. And from there, they went to the Chamber for the day’s sitting.

“But surprisingly, most members were taken-aback when the speaker announced the setting up to a panel to probe the deputy speaker for his alleged leakage of information to members of the public”, a source at the state house of assembly who preferred anonymity alleged.

The committee with five members including Hon. Nosayaba Okunbor as chairman, Hon. Victor Asein, Hon. Osaigbovo Iyoha, Hon. Festus Edughele and Hon. Patrick Iluobe as members. The committee was to submit its reports to the House on Wednesday, June 27, 2018 to the House.

It was further learnt that as the committee settled down for the business of probing their deputy speaker, some powerful APC leaders including Governor Obaseki, his deputy, Philip Shaibu, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and few others intervene into the matter and brought about peaceful settlement.

A member of the House last week confided in The Reliance that “presently, there is a palpable peace in the House. I could describe it as a peace of the graveyard because sooner or later, the bubble must burst and everything will be laid bare for all to see”.

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