Edo lawmakers trade words over Assembly repairs

The crisis in the Edo State House of Assembly entered another phase on Friday when the suspended Deputy Speaker, Festus Ebea,  alleged that the 15 All Progressives Congress lawmakers in the House planned to stop his group from gaining access to the Assembly Complex on Monday under the guise of ongoing renovation in the complex.

The lawmaker, who was impeached by the lawmakers on Wednesday at the Government House in Benin, told newsmen that the repairs in the Assembly were a waste of taxpayer’s money.

Ebea challenged the lawmakers to explain why they did not carry out the repairs when the House was on recess, but  instead decided to embark on the exercise when he and other Peoples Democratic Party legislative members chose to sit on Monday.

He said, “We are calling on all well meaning Edo people to know that all these things are being done to prevent us from sitting come Monday.

“This is the House of Assembly. If you feel that we needed a repair here, we have been on vacation in the last two, three weeks before we came back on the (June) 9th and the crisis but no repair was done within that time. And very soon, we all will be going on break again. Why not wait until that time? Why now?

“We are calling on whoever Oshiomhole and Uyi Igbe awarded this contract to to fix back that place because this is not the wish of the people and we strongly condemn it.”

However, the APC lawmakers said the Speaker had earlier taken the media round the complex  to show them the renovation, which prompted the House to relocate to the old chamber at the Government House. They also alleged that some policemen, under the instruction of the PDP in the state, had stormed the Assembly Complex and prevented the workers from executing the repairs.

The lawmakers, who said they did not know where the policemen had come from, alleged that the security operatives ordered the men, carrying out the repairs, to stop work.

One of the lawmakers and the House Committee Chairman on Youths, Sports and Information, Adjoto Kabiru, told newsmen that the policemen harassed the workers, while one of them threatened to shoot the Speaker.

“One Florence O. Joseph, General Duty, led them and immediately gave order as soon as they came in that Mr. Speaker should be shot.

“She personally teargassed Mr. Speaker,” Kabiru alleged.

Kabiru also alleged that the policemen, whom he described as trigger happy, pointed their guns at “everybody” in the complex.

“The PDP has in the past sponsored political thuggery, economic vandalism and  iniquitous inequality.

“That is what they still want to bring back to Edo State. They are using policemen to achieve that. As a responsible Assembly, we are going to defend our ground to the last,” Kabiru said.

The lawmaker called on President Goodluck Jonathan to caution the PDP in the state and the Nigeria Police.

The Edo State Police Commissioner, Folusho Adebanjo, said the policemen were deployed to stop the ongoing repairs to forestall a possible fracas between the warring lawmakers.