The Governorship candidate of AAC in the forthcoming Edo State Governorship election, comrade Udoh Obeiraifo has condemned in clear terms the suspension of three members of the Edo State House of Assembly in persons of Donald Okogbe(PDP Akoko-Edo11), Bright Iyamu(PDP- Orihonmwon South) and Adeh Isibor (PDP- Esan North East 1) as illegal, unconstitutional, arbitrary , null and void by the current speaker of edo state house of assembly. He stated that the Edo State House of Assembly PDP speaker lacks the legal power and right to suspend a lawmaker democratically elected by the people.So what will now happen to the lawmaking, representation and the constituents of this suspended members, he further asked.
He stated that the tyranny of the Edo State House of Assembly speaker clearly infringes on the rights of the good people of edo state , the suspended members, their constituents to good representation at the Edo State House of Assembly.he further said : Our courts have consistently held that disciplinary powers of legislative houses like edo state house of assembly do not extend to reckless suspension.Comrade Oberiafo further stated that the The Nigeria Court of Appeal in BAUCHI STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY & ORS v. GUYABA cited in (2017) LPELR-43295(CA) agreed with the trial court in holding that the suspension of a then House of Assembly member in Hon. Gubaya for three months was illegal. Recently, the court also took a similar view in case of Akinribido v Ondo State House of Assembly.
The point , i wish to state here, as comrade Oberaifo stated further, is that the clear malicious suspension of this members of Edo House of Assembly for whatever reasons by the Edo State speaker, is laughable, unjustifiable, illegal and clearly unconstitutional, it clearly shows the directionless lawmaking powers, offside decision making of the pdp lead house of assembly, and lack of respect for democratic institution’s, coupled with absence or any respect for seperation of powers principle by the speaker of edo state house of assembly and the pdp lead government in edo state. Comrade Oberiafo therefore calls for the recall of the suspended members in line with clear court precedents and settled court of appeal decisions in this kind of similar cases and matters.He further said, that the above shows that Edolites in North, South, Central cannot continue with the status quo of the PDP governance and law making in Edo State,and is high time the PDP led govt should be rejected by all well meaning Edolites in the forthcoming Edo state governorship elections in 2024, and that the AAC led governorship aspirations and governorship bid should be embraced by all all Edolites to give a better alternative and credible governance to all edo lites, he concluded
