Edo State House of Assembly is again in the news following the impeachment of the speaker and two other principal officers. IDRIS UMAR MOMOH writes that the impeachment has generated political and ethnic narratives among the electorate.
August 14, 2017 impeachment of the former speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Justin Okonoboh has again ignited political leadership debacle in the state.
Okonoboh (APC) representing Igueben constituency of Edo Central senatorial district was impeached and suspended for three months along with his deputy Elizabeth Ativie (APC), Uhunmwode and Foly Ogedengbe (APC), Owan East constituency, respectively, while Magnus Izehi-Igbas (PDP), Esan North-East 11 was suspended for his alleged unruly behaviour during the impeachment process.
The 16 lawmakers that allegedly signed the impeachment notice however, elected Adjoto Kabiru (APC), Akoko-Edo constituency 1 as the new speaker, Victor Edoror (APC), Esan Central, the former impeached speaker as the deputy speaker and Roland Asoro (APC) Orhionmwon 11 as the majority leader.
Adjoto is from Edo North senatorial district with the incumbent deputy governor of the state, Philip Shaibu and also by historical record, the first elected House of Assembly member from the Akoko-Edo extraction that has occupied the position of speaker right from the First Republic to date.
The new leadership of the house has attributed the impeachment of the principal officers to incompetence, treachery, gross misconduct, greed and monumental fraud.
Adjoto, who briefed newsmen immediately after the impeachment, gave detailed reasons that necessitated the impeachment thus:
“For selfish reason, the speaker will adjourn plenary session because his wife is doing birthday or his son is doing graduation at Covenant University. Or he wants to organise party for his son at the NYSC camp.
“Between May, June and July we only worked for three weeks. The speaker adjourned sitting more than six weeks in June and July. But today is August 14, 2017, we are just resuming since the beginning of the month and the house is also expected to adjourn again next week for another four weeks for the normal holiday.
“The wife as I said earlier has suddenly turned herself to the 25 members of the house. Ordinarily, we are elected 24 members but you discovered that the wife turned herself to the 25 members to the extent that anything we discussed at the executive session, the wife will hear and start calling our wives telling them about what we discussed and that they should tell us not to carry out our plans.
“The wife uses the speaker’s vehicles and convoy at random, as if she is Mr. Speaker. The other day, the wife and the son used the speaker’s official vehicle and they patrolled the NYSC camp and when the soldiers and policemen there saw the vehicle coming they all stood hoping that it was the speaker only for the wife and the son to alight from the vehicle. That is desecration of the parliament,” he said.
He also added, “Mr. Speaker is not supposed to be a contractor at all but you discovered that he awards contracts without following due process to himself. He just came back from the United States of America three or four weeks ago where he claimed he visited eight states. He said he visited Florida, Chicago, New Jersey, among others.
“He joyfully told us how he toured America whereas he shut down plenary session. We are not supposed to go on break but because he was going to America to organise party for his son that graduated, he shut down the house, stopping us from working for Edo State people.
“We have talked and cautioned him severally at the executive session, privately and openly but he refused to listen to us that as a speaker, he represents an institution, a symbol and supposed to be very careful in the way and manners he conducted himself both within and outside the parliament,” he added.
The impeachment of Okonoboh was the second since the inauguration of the current sixth assembly in 2015. There had been four speakers. The speakers so far emerged are Victor Edoror, who was impeached and replaced with Elizabeth Ativie while Ativie stepped down for Justin Okonoboh on principle of mutual understanding of all the members to balance the political equation leadership in the state.
Available statistics revealed that June 8, 2015 Victor Edoror (APC), Esan Central from Edo Central senatorial district was elected speaker for the sixth assembly, Bright Osayande (APC) Ovia North-East 11 as deputy speaker, Foly Ogedengbe (APC) Owan East, majority leader, Osazemwinde Eghe-Sunday (APC),Ovia North-East 1, deputy leader,Sunday Aghedo (APC) Ovia South-West, Chief Whip while MondayEhighalua (PDP), Esan West as minority leader.
With the impeachment of Victor Edoror on May 3, 2016, Elizabeth Ativie (APC) Uhunmwode from Edo South senatorial district emerged the speaker, Justin Okonoboh (APC) Igueben, deputy speaker, Foly Ogedengbe still retains the position of majority leader; Henry Okhuarobo (APC)Ikpoba-Okha emerged the new deputy leader, Adjoto Kabiru was made the Chief Whip while Patrick Iluobe (PDP) Esan North-East 1 emerged the minority leader.
But on July 26, 2016 before the governorship election in the course of legislation to balance the position in the state, the House however, agreed to swop the position of speaker and deputy between Elizabeth Ativie and Justin Okonoboh, respectively while other principal positions remain unchanged.
With the conduct of the 2016 governorship election in the state, Godwin Obaseki from Edo South senatorial district emerged the governor while Philip Shaibu from Edo North senatorial district become the deputy governor and while by political convenience and balance the speakership position was zone to Edo central senatorial district.
Since the impeachment there have been rumblings by stakeholders in the political development condemning the manner and processes that culminated to the emergence of the new speaker, agitation to return the position to the Edo central senatorial district while others hailed the processes.
The Benin monarch described the action of the lawmakers as display of political hooliganism and barbarism
A press statement issued by the Chief Secretary to the Benin monarch, Desmond Agbama and made available to newsmen reminded the lawmakers of the need to abide by the democratic principle of fair play, equal right and justice for all in whatever they do.
According to the statement, His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin has frowned at the display of political hooliganism and barbarism by members of the Edo State House of Assembly on Monday August 14, 2017 during leadership change in the parliament.
“The Oba of Benin says he is not against leadership change in the Assembly, but reasoned that the frequent violent changes in the leadership of the House are capable of negating the interest of the people which ought to be paramount to the lawmakers at all times.
“The Benin Monarch who watched with great disappointment- the throwing of chairs and THE fisticuff among members of the Assembly says it does not portray them as honourable members, as it is a sign of desperation for power.
The Oba of Benin reminds the legislators of the need to abide by the democratic principle of fair play, equal right and justice for all in whatever they do”, it stated.
The Oba’s position was corroborated and supported by traditional rulers in Edo North and Edo Central senatorial districts during a summit held at the palace of the Otaru of Auchi, Aliru. H. Momoh, Ikelebe 111.
The Otaru, who addressed journalists after the meeting said the traditional rulers from the two senatorial districts supported comments of the Oba of Benin who described the action of the lawmakers as an act of barbarism and hooliganism.
Otaru noted that the power balancing factor in the state has been displaced with the removal of Okonoboh, urging the state lawmakers to return to status quo by ensuring that a lawmaker from Edo Central senatorial district is made Speaker.
“We are meeting the Oba. We will send delegation to the Benin Monarch to inform him that we support him on his comments as regards what happened at the Edo State House of Assembly.
“We feel that equity, justice must prevail. Edo Central must have somebody who should be the Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly. We are going to see what we can do to bring justice to the state over that matter. A balancing factor has to be made which was in place. That has been displaced and it is not a good thing for us if we have to navigate justice”, he added.
Apart from the royal rumblings, coalition of civil societies as well as Esan Youth Movement (EYM) also joined in the condemnation galore.
The coalition of civil societies made up of People Freedom Movement, Talakawa Parliament and the Alliance of Nigerian Students Against Neo-Liberal Attacks (ANSA) at a press conference called on stakeholders and Edo State governor to intervene in the crisis rocking the house in order to bring back peace to the it.
They urged the house to bring back the impeached speaker, Justin Okonoboh as the speaker of the house with a view to balancing the political power in the state
“We watched with the saddest mood, the unlegislative, monstrous and ‘agberolistic’ impeachment of Hon. Justin Okonoboh where members of the Edo State House of Assembly turned the hallowed chambers into a war front to enforce the uncultured removal of Justin Okonoboh without recourse to democratic and legislative principles.
“The Honourable members have shown to us that they are only there in the parliament to represent their selfish interests. The impeachment of an Esan man as the speaker negates the political balance of equation and power. We cannot be mute on the marginalisation of the Esan people.
“We condemn in totality the ‘agberolistic’ and unprincipled impeachment of the speaker, Hon. Justin Okonoboh in the house. We call on all stakeholders and Edo State Governor to intervene in the crisis rocking the house to bring peace back to the assembly and for Hon. Justin Okonoboh to be called back and retain his position as the speaker for there to be balance of power,” they posited.
On their part, the Esan Youth Movement also called on the governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki and the state leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to use their good offices to prevail on the lawmakers to reconvene and elect one out of the other five lawmakers from the Edo central senatorial district as the new speaker of the house
They contended that the import of the unceremonious and acrimonious removable of Okonoboh as the speaker of the assembly was a complete and unjust shut out of the topmost leadership positions across the three arms of government at the state level- namely, the executive, legislature and the judiciary.
They further noted that the secretary to the state government, Osarodion Ogie is from Edo South, Chief of Staff from Edo North, the State Governor Godwin Obaseki and the current minister of state of Health Osagie Ehanire from Edo South
The movement opined that the latest impeachment was a plot to finally nail the political casket of Edo central people, pointing out that the speakership position was forcefully taken from Edo central to Edo North.
The condemnation of the traditional rulers, civil society and Esan Youth Movement was however, countered by Afemai People’s Movement (APM), who advised the traditional rulers to steer clear of politics in the state
The statement signed by one Osikhotse Muhammed, President of the movement, noted that Edo State House of Assembly is an independent arm of government and has the right to select who becomes its leader based on trust, integrity, honesty and legislative experience.
Muhammed said 21 out of the 24 members of the Edo State House of Assembly are unanimous on the speakership of Adjoto Kabiru, wondering how six traditional rulers from Edo North and Central senatorial district turned themselves to become the 25th member of the house to decide for the people of the state.
He further opined that it was unfair for the six traditional rulers from Etsako to gather and make decision for the entire Afemai people with over thirty traditional rulers.
He added that the election of Adjoto Kabiru from Edo North senatorial district as the speaker of the house in addition to the deputy governor from the same zone was synonymous with the arrangement where the governor of the state with the chief judge of the state are from the same senatorial district.
The president of the movement however, called on the traditional rulers to leave political issues for politicians and respect the throne they hold or resign and join politics.
He remarked that the body will not sit and watch any Afemai person, no matter how highly placed, to champion any evil against the speaker of the house and by extension the Afemai people.
Some observers say that although political balancing is very important, emphasis must be on performance. They also flayed a situation where individuals and groups begin to heat up the polity only when a situation is not in their favour whereas they go to sleep when they are enjoying a negative development.
The analysts recalled that during the first tenure of the immediate past governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole, the former PDP speaker of the house, Zakawanu Garuba was from the same Estsako West Local Government Area with the governor besides being from Edo North senatorial district.
They also noted that Elizabeth Ativie from Edo South senatorial district with the immediate past deputy governor, Pius Odubu, was speaker for over two months before swapping the position with Okonoboh.
They said that in all of the above cited scenarios, there were no agitations from members of the public either from the civil societies, traditional rulers among others, to correct the alleged political imbalance occasioned by the change of leadership in the House of Assembly. They wonder why there is so much controversy over the current development.
Political watchers and indigenes of Edo State are anxiously watching and waiting to see where the pendulum of the speakership will swing to at the end of the day.
IDRIS UMAR MOMOH
