The All Progressives Congress has exonerated its National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, of any blame in the crisis rocking the Edo State House of Assembly.
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The ruling party, which called on Governor Godwin Obaseki to issue a new proclamation for the inauguration of the elected members of the state Assembly, said the rule of law must prevail in Edo as well as Bauchi State where the House of Assembly was facing a similar crisis.
The party spoke on a day the immediate past National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, accused Oshiomhole of fuelling the crisis in Edo State.
Oyegun, in a statement by his Public Affairs Adviser, Chief Ray Morphy, had said the recent outburst by Obaseki and the report by the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee allegedly indicting Oshiomhole had confirmed his earlier claim that Oshiomhole was not only the architect but also responsible for fuelling the crisis in Edo state.
“I am yet to come to terms with why it has become difficult for Oshiomhole to realise that Governor Obaseki is the only APC governor in the entire South-South and should be allowed to concentrate in giving the people of Edo the dividends of democracy.
“It is shocking that a man who boastfully claimed to have buried godfatherism in the Edo State politics could become enmeshed in playing God to his successor. Oshiomhole is not only guilty of godfatherism but also guilty of anti-party activities,” Odigie-Oyegun said.
But addressing journalists in Abuja on Sunday, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said under the constitution the House of Representatives had power to direct the governor to do the right thing.
He said, “As far as the Edo State Assembly is concerned, the House of Representatives has done the right thing by ordering the governor to follow the rule of law.
“We would have conveniently dealt with Bauchi because Bauchi is a PDP state and whatever is going on there is not strange because that is what has been in the PDP. We are no longer going to allow it.”
Issa-Onilu denied knowledge of any report indicting Oshiomhole in the Edo Assembly crisis.
“If they claim Oshiomhole was responsible for Edo Assembly’s crisis, was he also responsible for the Bauchi Assembly’s crisis? It is convenient to link Oshoimhole because it is Edo. But it is a case of Obaseki versus the rule of law.
“Is it by carrying out impunity that you know you are the governor? It is about the rule of law. Was the proper proclamation by governors in Edo and Bauchi?
“In Bauchi, there is a 31-member House of Assembly, and just about 11 members hurriedly gathered themselves and inaugurated the House of Assembly; that is taking us back to five, six, seven years. Nigeria has passed that stage.
“In Edo also, you have a situation where you have nine members, who claimed to have inaugurated the House of Assembly when you have 24 members.
“In this case the rule of law has to be followed and we have demonstrated here even as a party at the national level.”
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