Edo APC crisis: House of Assembly inauguration date uncertain...as stakeholders meeting ends in deadlock

Edo APC crisis:House of Assembly Inuaguration date uncertain
...as stake holders meeting ends in deadlock

By Mark Erabor

Benin City: A stake holders meeting of the  All Progressive Congress (APC) in Edo State convered on Friday,14th of June,2019 had ended in a deadlock.The  meeting  which took place at APC  Secretariat in Benin City was convered to broker peace among the warring parties ahead of the State House of Assembly Inuaguration.

The meeting was attended by the Edo State Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, the Secretary to the state government Hon.Osarodion Ogie,some elected members of the state house of assembly,and political leaders from the three senatorial zones.

Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, the Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, said the party leaders came to honour an invitation by the party,and that it was meant to discuss issues within the party.On the contentious leadership and inauguration of the State House of Assembly.

He said, the bulk stops at the table of the Clerk of the State House of Assembly,  that everybody is waiting for the  clerk to announce when the house will be inuagurated.Reminded that the Edo state Governor has the constitional right to send a proclamation to the Clerk, before it will be inuagurated, the Deputy Governor said, it is the duty of the Clerk to announce  when the house will be inuagurated.

"What we had was a party meeting; the Governor,I , members of the executive, members elect.We are here to honour our party invitation to a meeting,and that is what we just did.For the inuaguration of the State House of Assembly,we are waiting for the Clerk to announce when the house will be inuagurated.Once the clerk announces the day.I assure you the house will be inuagurated."He said.

But,on the other hand,a member elect from Edo North told Orient Daily that, what was discussed at the meeting was sharing formula of the principal officers of the house of assembly and nothing else.He said,the party had zoned the speaker to Edo Central, the deputy speaker to Edo North, excluding Estako, that had produced the Deputy Governor, while the majority leaders goes to Edo South,and  nobody has approach the members elect with who should be elected into any of the principal offices in the house.

"The meeting was just to discuss the sharing formula of the principal offices in the house,and nothing else was discussed.If anybody tells you they approach us on who to vote for, then that person had told you a lie.Maybe they will come  up with that later,but in this meeting, such a thing was not discussed."He said.

Recall that the 6th assembly ended on the 7th of June,2019 and on the valedictory session, the then speaker,Hon. Kabiru Adjoto said the 7th assembly will be inuagurated on the 10th of June.But in a twist,security operatives took over the house of assembly on Monday, the 10th of June, preventing house of assembly workers from gaining entrance with their cars.

Also,the proclamation for the Inuaguration of the house was supposed to be sent  to the house by the Governor,Mr Godwin Obaseki, but that did not happen, fueling  speculations that the  crisis in the state All Progressive  Congress could not be parched for the Inuaguration to hold.A reliable source told this paper that the division in house was owned to the two political leaders in the state(Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the national Chairman of the APC and his godson, Governor Godwin Obaseki) supporting different candidates for the speaker.

It is believed that while, the APC national Chairman Adams Oshiomhole prefers Hon. Victor Edoror  , the Governor Mr Godwin Obaseki,is at home with Hon Frank Okiye, the two candidates are from Edo Central.

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