17 Edo Lawmakers Claim To Have Impeached Assembly Speaker

[Edoman]

Seventeen lawmakers of the Edo State House of Assembly, including 14 members whose seats have been previously declared vacant, claim that they have impeached the Speaker of the House, Francis Okiye, and his deputy, Roland Asoro.

The decision was taken at a private location in the state capital, hours after security officials took over the State Assembly Complex and some men attacked the building, destroying parts of it.

At the meeting, the 14 lawmakers-elect were, first, sworn in and then, together with three other lawmakers who recently pledged their allegiance to Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) claimed to have impeached the Speaker and his deputy, Roland Asoro.

The Edo State House of Assembly has been embroiled in a crisis since 2019, one that has now been worsened by the buildup to the governorship elections in the state.

Twenty-four lawmakers were elected from the 24 constituencies during the 2019 general elections. However, only 10 of them were inaugurated on July 17 of the same year, sparking a controversy that included intervention from the National Assembly.

Five of the 10 lawmakers that were inaugurated including the Deputy Speaker, Yekini Idiaye, had declared support for Ize-Iyamu last week, after accusing Governor Obaseki of rendering the legislature in the state useless.

In retaliation, four of the five inaugurated lawmakers met on Wednesday and impeached Idiaye, replacing him with Asoro.

But the lawmakers loyal to Ize-Iyamu claimed to have impeached him and the Speaker, Okiye.

https://www.channelstv.com/2020/08/06/17-edo-lawmakers-claim-to-have-impeached-assembly-speaker/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

[Edoman]

Ize-Iyamu Congratulates Victor Edoror, New Speaker Of Edo House Of Assembly 

I am happy to receive the news of the emergence of Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror as the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly.

His emergence marks an end to a lopsided & deformed democracy, ushering in a new and reformed era of inclusive governance and non-discriminatory politics.

Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror’s emergence is also a victory for the people of Edo State, for the constituencies previously sidelined, and for the House-members’ elect who had been unfairly denied their elective right to represent their constituencies in government.

Personally, as someone who has known Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror for a long time, I am convinced by the great personality he is; I am sure that this joy sweeping across Edo as the shackles of tyranny breaks today, will not be temporary.

As a true democrat & a progressive, and as someone who came to leadership through & after a tomentous & elongated period of political persecution, Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror knows the sour taste of injustice & as such would not let any one more Edo person experience such bitter tang.

Backed by an overwhelming majority, Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror is demonstrably the people’s choice for the position. And it is in line with common sense that for an individual to sway such massive support, he must have demonstrated great qualities admired & necessary for leadership/

/and development, and as such is being trusted with the enormous task of piloting the House from its darkest moments as cast into by the reprehensible divide-and-rule politics of the outgoing Governor.

I send my congratulations to Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror - and his Deputy, Hon. Emmanuel Agbaje - while at the same time encouraging him to set a good example with the opportunity of leadership God has given to him today.

https://mobile.twitter.com/PastorIzeIyamu/status/1291418661505425412