‎Speakership: Don’t dabble into Assembly politics, Group tells Edo monarchs

The Afemai Peoples Movement (APM), a socio cultural organisation in Edo State, has condemned what it described as an attempt by people it described as “few traditional rulers in Edo North and Central senatorial districts to dabble into the politics of the state as regards the Speakership of the Edo state House of Assembly.

According to the group in a statement signed by its President, Osikhotse Muhammed, “it is unfair for only six traditional rulers from Etsako to gather and make decision for the Afemai people with over 30 traditional rulers. And we do not know when the six traditional rulers became the 25th member of the Edo state House of Assembly to now decide for the people.

Obviously, the group was reacting to the call by traditional rulers from Esan Central and Edo North senatorial district of the state led by the Otaru of Auchi, His Royal Highness Alhaji Aliru Momoh Ikelebe III, that members of state House of Assembly should revert the Speakership to Edo Central.

But the APM argued that “the Edo state House is an independent arm of government and has the right to elect who becomes its leader based on trust, integrity, honesty and legislative experience. Just like you have the governor and the Chief Judge of the state from one senatorial district, there is nothing wrong having the Deputy Governor and the Speaker from the same senatorial district.

We want to beg that traditional rulers should leave political issues for politicians. We wish to state un-equivocally that we will not sit and watch any Afemai person no matter how highly placed the person may be to champion any evil cause against Speaker Kabiru Adjoto,” it added.