Edo House Fracas: Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu Trade Insults

By Emmanuel Aziken

The Godwin Obaseki and Osagie Ize-Iyamu Campaigns were on Thursday afternoon trading insults and blames as the physical fracas in the Edo State House of Assembly ebbed into another political adventure.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP  in its response to the development congratulated the citizenry for supposedly trooping out to stop the invasion as it called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the immediate past national chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to order. The PDP accused Oshiomhole of masterminding the invasion using police men from Abuja.

The APC in a riposte said it does not control policemen and could not as such have deployed the policemen to the precincts of the legislative complex.

The party further accused Governor Obaseki of orchestrating anti-democratic tendencies by supposedly suppressing the free expression of the legislative branch through barring the majority of members-elect from the inauguration of the assembly a year ago.

Tension had ebbed in Benin by afternoon and Governor Obaseki who had suspended his campaign on account of the fracas was back in Edo North for his campaign.

The governor in an aside said the invasion was orchestrated by the APC to deviate him from his campaigns in Edo North which he said had been very much successful.

PDP Attacks

PDP spokesman, Chris Nehikhare responding to the development on Thursday afternoon in a statement sub-titled, “Adams Oshiomhole disgraced. His knees must be removed from Edo people’s neck,” said:

“Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is pleased to announce that the planned Edo State House of Assembly takeover by Adams Oshiomhole and his gang of marauders has failed and thwarted by Edo people.

“Edo people today spoke with one voice. They displayed total commitment and loyalty to constituted authority, the rule of law and democracy as they answered the call to OCCUPY the Assembly complex.

“Their action has bloodied the nose of Adams Oshiomhole, APC and their marauding gang who with such impetuousness, attempted to subvert the will of Edo people.

“We congratulate and thank Edo people for their show of love and support for Governor Obaseki and our party.

“We call on all well meaning Edo people to continue to reject APC and their evil plans as was demonstrated today. Edo is indeed Resetting! From this moment, united and determined, we will go forward together, dedicated to the ultimate and undeniable greatness of Edo state.

“We call on the security agencies to be vigilant and pro-active. This is not a time for our Police, DSS and other security agencies to allow themselves to be used to perpetuate any agenda that will lead to chaos and cause mayhem. Threats to Democracy must be quenched without equivocation and those involved whether directly or remotely must be flushed out and dealt with. No one is above the law.

“We also call on Mr President to call the marauding gang led by his disgraced and sacked Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole to order. His utterances have been provocative and inciting. Adams Oshiomhole is a threat to Edo security and Nigeria’s democracy. He should be adviced to retrace his step.

“Adams Oshiomhole and APC’s knees must be removed from our neck. On September 19, do it with your PVC.”

APC Reacts

Responding in kind, John Mayaki, spokesman to Ize-Iyamu said denied the APC’s involvement in the fracas saying the party does not officially control the police. He also accused Governor Obaseki of desecrating democracy tenents.

He said:

“It is a known fact that the outgoing Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has treated the House of Assembly, an independent and co-equal branch of government, as a mere extension of his office through the brutalization of members-elect and the denial of representation to the majority of members.”

“In Gestapo style, the outgoing Governor hijacked a tiny minority and purportedly inaugurated them in the dead of the night. The sham inauguration was condemned and set aside by both arms of the National Assembly after their separate investigations revealed that the members, and indeed the Clerk, were forced to participate in the illegality under threat to life.”

“With these criminal antecedents, we believe if there is any unwholesome activity ongoing at the Assembly Complex, it is Mr. Godwin Obaseki who is in the best position to explain to the world what is going on and why.”

“Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, or the APC, does not control the Police. When Obaseki went to obtain a questionable court order challenging the position of Comrade as the APC National Chairman months back, he was locked out of the National HQ of the party in Abuja. If indeed he has any control over the Police, wouldn’t he have instructed them to leave and grant him entry?”

“The Edo State Government should explain to the world and Edo people what is going on. And they can start by explaining why a branch of government meant to carry out oversight functions and check the excesses of the Executive arm has been holding plenary inside the Government House for months over a supposed ‘fumigation and renovation exercise’ at the Assembly Complex’.”

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