Tension in Edo as renegade House members intensify impeachment plot

By OBINNA EZUGWU

With the turn of events in Edo State ahead of the its governorship election billed for September 19, it is perhaps no longer a question of whether the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will muster enough firepower to withstand the All Progressive Congress and its candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu who is backed by former chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole at the polls, but whether he will remain as governor until September 19.
As many would have probably expected, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has brought federal might to bear in the ensuing political calisthenics, and Obaseki is losing grip, even as he faces possibility of impeachment.
The events of last week were telling. Whilst Obaseki and his campaign entourage were on ward to ward campaign in various local governments on Thursday, the estranged members of the state House of Assembly, initially numbering 14, loyal to Oshiomhole headed to the Assembly Complex, accompanied by retired deputy clerk of the House, Samuel Efezokhae, to be sworn in with the possible intention of impeaching the speaker, Frank Okiye and taking over the assembly before ultimately impeaching the governor.
But Obaseki got wind of what was unfolding and mobilized his supporters back to Benin, only to find out, on getting to the Assembly complex, that a team of mean looking police men acting on orders from above, had barricaded it to allow the lawmakers carry out their plot.
Recall that the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, acting on a petition by Idahosa-West Chambers, had in a letter dated August 5, instructed the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to provide security for the APC lawmakers to do the said inauguration.
The letter read, “My office is in receipt of a letter dated 3rd August, 2020 from Messrs West Idahosa & Co. requesting for the intervention of my office on behalf of its clients who are members-elect of the Edo State House of Assembly but who were excluded or prevented from being inaugurated till date since the House was inaugurated on 17th June 2019.
“A copy of the letter is attached for ease of reference. In view of the forgoing and in order to ensure constitutional compliance with the dictates of Sections 91 – 96 of the 1999 constitution (as altered) and also to prevent breakdown of peace, law and order; I’m requesting you kindly provide adequate security measures for the purpose of the inauguration of the concerned members and subsequent sittings in Edo State House of Assembly.”
Things soon turned violent. The roof of the Assembly complex was pulled off as the crowd of Obaseki’s supporters overwhelmed the police guards. And Obaseki subsequently used his supporters to barricade the complex and ostensibly commence ‘renovation.’
The lawmakers then moved to an undisclosed location where they eventually conducted proceeding, with the deputy Speaker, Yekini Idiaye, who had been impeached and replaced by Roland Asoro on Wednesday for declaring support for Ize-Iyamu, after allegedly being bribed with N50 million, presiding over proceedings and swearing in the 14 lawmakers who took oath office administered by the retired deputy clerk.
These members subsequently elected a parallel Speaker, Victor Edoro. The new members, with five other existing members who had already defected to the Oshiomhole camp, then made up a majority of 19, against Obaseki’s five members.
Once ‘inaugurated’ they called the press to demand that first, the security details of Okiye be withdrawn since he was no longer the Speaker, and that the federal government should stop Obaseki from accessing state funds. Abuja obeyed as confirmed to BusinessesHallmark by one of the governor’s aides.
“The Speaker’s security details have been withdrawn following the order,” he said. “You know it’s Abuja. They are being backed by Abuja and Abuja is ready to carry out their orders.”
On Friday, another lawmaker defected to the Oshiomhole and Ize-Iyamu camp, bringing their total to 20 against Obaseki’s four. And throughout the day, they drove around Benin City guarded by heavily armed police men.
“They were just moving around the whole town, accompanied by more than 15 police vans,” the governor’s aide who preferred anonymity said. “You know they have Abuja support and their camp has all the money. They are getting funding from many places, including Lagos, Abuja; they have unlimited funding. It is from Monday that we will know their next line of action.”
A few days ago, BusinessHallmark had conducted a survey which showed that Obaseki would win a free and fair election, but expecting a free and fair election now appears unrealistic. And even Obaseki who profited from strong arm twisting of the electoral system in 2016 knows that popular support counts for little in governorship elections under the current dispensation.
Recent events suggest it would be a war between whatever force the governor can muster within the state, and the evidently superior firepower of the federal government, which is poised to see Ize-Iyamu pay him back for the 2016 outcome.
In the meantime, both camps are trading blames. Speaking after the Thursday House of Assembly incident, Obaseki vowed to continue resisting all attempts to forcefully take-over the Edo state House of Assembly, adding that he will do everything within his constitutional powers to protect the house and the state.
“For us as the executive, we will use the instrument available to us constitutionally to protect the house and the state,” he said. “Nigeria is governed by the constitution and President Muhammadu Buhari has always said we must follow the rules of law and do things according to the law,” he added.
State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Chris Nehikhare also in a statement in Benin on Thursday said: “It has come to our knowledge that the APC, led by Adams Oshiomhole this morning, Thursday, August 6, 2020, led thugs to the premises of the state House of Assembly in an attempt to take over the House and legislative arm of government.
“He has over the last few weeks disbursed over N500m to entice and purchase members of the House for his illegal take-over attempt in a Gestapo style operation. All Edo persons of goodwill should reject this brazen attack on our democracy and resist it.”
The embattled Speaker Okiye, had, on Wednesday, raised the alarm over an alleged plot by the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, and stakeholders in the APC in Edo State to use a fake mace to violently take over the Edo State House of Assembly. Okiye, who spoke after plenary on Wednesday, in Benin City, said the plot was to be executed with the impeached Deputy Speaker, Mr. Yekini Idiaye.
Okiye had said, “The dubious plan by the governor of Imo State, Sen. Hope Uzodinma and stakeholders of the APC in Edo State to import a fake mace to take over the Edo State House of Assembly working in cahoots with the Deputy Speaker, who recently declared support for the candidate of the APC to congregate in a secret location to illegally and violently take over control of the Assembly has been brought to our notice.”
But reacting through a statement by its Chairman of state Media Campaign Council, Mr. John Mayaki, APC said Obaseki was responsible for the numerous siege to the Assembly complex.
“It is a known fact that Governor Obaseki has treated the House of Assembly, an independent and co-equal branch of government, as a mere extension of his office through the brutalisation of members-elect and the denial of representation to the majority of members,” Mayaki said.
“In a Gestapo style, the outgoing governor hijacked a tiny minority and purportedly inaugurated them in the dead of the night. The sham inauguration was condemned and set aside by both arms of the National Assembly after their separate investigations revealed that the members, and indeed the Clerk, were forced to participate in the illegality under threat to life.
“With these criminal antecedents, we believe if there is any unwholesome activity ongoing at the Assembly complex, it is Mr. Godwin Obaseki who is in the best position to explain to the world what is going on and why. Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, or the APC, does not control the Police.”