Assembly crisis: APC tells Obaseki to abide by Reps resolution

By Tunde Opalana, Abuja

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday intervened in the impasse rocking the Edo state House of Assembly by calling on Governor, Godwin Obaseki to abide by the order of the House of Representatives on the need for him to order a fresh proclamation to inaugurate the assembly.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, who insisted on party supremacy on Sunday at a press conference in Abuja, lamented how impunity that reigned during the erstwhile ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently reigning in Edo state.

Our reporter recalls that members of the House of Representatives had last Wednesday given a one-week ultimatum to Governor Obaseki, to issue a fresh proclamation for the Edo state House of Assembly.

The APC spokesperson said the constitution has stipulated that the House of Representatives has power to direct the governor to do the right thing.

He said, “As far as Edo state assembly election is concerned, the House of Representatives has done the right thing by ordering the governor to follow the rule of law.

“I feel ashamed as a member of APC that an APC state (Edo) is involved in impunity. That is not the kind of reputation we want to have. We would have conveniently dealt with Bauchi because Bauchi is a PDP state and whatever is going on there is not strange because that is what has been in the PDP.

“We are no longer going to allow it no matter what! This is the issue, not somebody claiming that he is not allowed to govern. I don’t understand what exactly that is supposed to mean.”

Governor Obaseki, immediate past National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun among other stakeholders in the Edo state APC have argued that the House of Representatives has no power to shut down or take over the state House of Assembly as contained in its resolution.