UPDATED: Edo State Speaker, Deputy, Majority Leader Impeached
—ELECTS ADJOTO NEW HouseSPEAKER
Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly Justin Okonoboh, the deputy speaker, Elizabeth Ativie and the majority leader, Foly Ogedengbe were on Monday morning impeached.
The House however elected Kabir Adjoto (APC) representing Akoko-Edo constituency 1 as the substantive speaker, victor Edoror , the former speaker representing Esan Central constituency as the new deputy speaker while Roland Asoro, representing Orhionmwon 11 emerged the majority leader.
Adjoto ,the new speaker stated that16 members impeached the three principal officers and that after the impeachment the numbers now rose to 19 members.
He said the impeached principal officers have been suspended for three months as well as Magnus Izehi-Igbas (PDP) representing Esan North-East constituency 11.
He said the impeached speaker ran the house as a private entity in conjunction with his wife.
“The impeached speaker converted the house to a private estate. We are supposed to be 24 members in the house but he now co-opted his wife as 25 members who was now privilege to know all the operations before the members.
” He also awarded contracts to his personal self without recourse to the house standing rules and due process”he said.
Adjoto said they were elected to be a partners in Edo state project with the Governor of the State whom he described as a performing governor.
However,the impeached speaker (Okonobor) said he remains the speaker of the House,while describing his removal as illegal.According to him,”What they have done is illegal.I remain the speaker and Adjoto and others have been suspended indefinitely”
Also reacting to the impeachment, the embattled majority leader, Ogedengbe described the action as null, void and unconstitutional.
Ogedengbe said they were allegedly impeached by only eleven members a violation of two third majority.
