Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki has said that he has no
power to bring back 14 state House of Assembly members elected on the platform
of the All Progressives Congress in 2019.
The elected legislators were not inaugurated with their
colleagues, because the proclamation by the governor was done at night.
Obaseki commented on the fate of the elected men when he
paid a thank-you visit to the National Working Committee (NWC), of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), in Abuja on Monday.
Obaseki claimed the group of the 14 elected-lawmakers were
not prevented from being inaugurated but they “refused to be inaugurated”.
“They were listening to their godfather who kept hoping and
promising that he would unconstitutionally get the state House of Assembly to
reissue a proclamation even after the court had settled the matter.
“For more than 180 days they did not come. They refused to
represent the people. Those seats became vacant; that’s what the constitution
says.
“They went to court after those were declared vacant by the
Speaker. There is nothing I can do to that at this time.
“I wish it did not happen but people were playing God and
promising what is not constitutionally possible.
“It is not about me. I am an elected governor of Edo. I am
not one that plants people into the house of Assembly.
“They on their own operated the rules the way it should be,
the seats are now vacant.
“We should learn that democracy is underpinned by the
constitution and the law.
“Even if I wanted today to bring them back, I don’t have
such powers.
“I do not have anything against them because I do not have
such authority to bring them back to the house,” Obaseki said.
Asked for his reaction to the declaration by Pastor Osagie
Ize-Iyamu, the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Edo
Election that he was approaching the court that Obaseki was not qualified to
run, the governor said he would wait for the court’s outcome.
Obaseki, was accompanied by the Deputy Gov. Philip Shaibu
and other PDP leaders from Edo including former Minister of Works Mike
Onolememen and the former Minister of External Affairs, Chief Tom Ikimi
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