House of Reps Shouldn't be Dragged into Illegality, Says Edo Speaker

The Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Frank Okiye, has condemned the proposed move by the House of Representatives to dabble into the affairs of the state assembly.

The Speaker also said the state assembly was duly inaugurated on June 17, 2019, and since then, the business of law-making has been going on without hindrances.

According to him, "May I remind the leadership of the House of Representatives that apart from the fact that the Edo State assembly complied with the Nigerian Constitution in the inauguration of the assembly, there also exists a court order with suit number FHC/B/CS/70/2019, FHC/B/M/285/2019,ordering the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Inspector General of Police (IG), the state Commissioner of Police, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu; all defendants, their servants and agents not to interfere, disrupt or obstruct the constitutional duties of members of the Edo House of Assembly."

Furthermore, Okiye said: "An interim order of injunction was granted restraining the defendants by themselves, their servants, agents, officers or privies from interfering with, obstructing or harassing, in any manner whatsoever, the plaintiffs in the performance of their constitutional duties as the legislative arm of the state government pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction."      

The Speaker noted that the court also ordered "that an interim order of injunction is further granted restraining the first defendant, his servants, agents, officers or privies from further publishing in any newspaper or other media, any inciting publications concerning the inauguration of the seventh assembly of the state and the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker which took place on June 17, 2019, in the state House of Assembly."

The court, he pointed out, declared: "That interim order of injunction is also granted restraining the defendants by themselves, their servants, agents, officers or privies from further committing any act aimed at disparaging the integrity of the legislative arm of the Edo State Government and/or destabilising the peace, order and good governance of the state in general, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction."

The speaker said: "It is most disheartening that at a time when the country is confronted with security issues such as banditry, kidnapping and killings, all of which require urgent intervention of the National Assembly through motions and laws, the House of Representatives is wasting precious legislative time contemplating to hijack the House of Assembly of a peaceful state like Edo.

"We humbly advise the House of Representatives to review its priorities and focus its attention on the objectives for which the members were elected and not get involved in petty politics to fan the ego of an aspiring Godfather."