07082020 - 20 killed, houses burnt in fresh S-Kaduna attacks

vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews
Tension, as 24 Edo House members
fight for control
By Gabriel
Enogholase,
Ozioruva Aliu, &
Dirisu Yakubu
BENIN CITY —
There was
tension and
drama, yesterday, as
combatants for Edo State
governorship fought
squarely for the soul of
the State House of
Assembly.
Seventeen lawmakers,
including 14 memberselect
whose seats had
previously been declared
vacant, met; swore-in
the members-elect;
elected a new speaker,
Victor Edoror;
impeached the speaker
of the house, Frank
Okiye, and his deputy,
Roland Asoro; and fixed
plenary for today.
The 17 factional
members, who are in the
majority (the House has
24 members), dodged
attempts by the state
government and House
leadership to stop them
from carrying out the
acts which speaker Okiye
dismissed as a joke.
As early as 8 am,
policemen, personnel of
the Nigerian Security
and Civil Defence Corps,
NSCDC, and armed
plain-clothes security
men took over the State
House of Assembly
complex over allegations
that 19 lawmakers were
planning to storm the
Chief Anthony Enahoro
complex, elect a speaker,
principal officers and
commence legislative
activities.
The development made
the governor to cut short
his campaign visit to
attend to the situation.
He visited the assembly
complex in company of
his deputy, Comrade
Philip Shaibu, to meet
with the speaker, Frank
Okiye, and four other
lawmakers.
As at 8:07 am when
Vanguard visited the
complex, no less than 19
patrol vehicles
belonging to the Police
and NSCDC were
stationed in front of the
complex, the entrance
and exit gates used by
lawmakers.
The police officers were
seen being coordinated
by
Deputy
Commissioner of Police
in charge of operations,
Ayoola Ajala.
Okiye, deputy
impeached
– 17 lawmakers
The 17 lawmakers met
at an unknown location
in Benin City, the state
capital, hours after
security officials took over
the State Assembly
complex.
An aide to one of the
lawmakers said they
conducted the ceremony
in the conference hall of
the House of Assembly
complex.
In place of the speaker
and his deputy, the
lawmakers said they had
elected Victor Edoror,
who represents Esan
Central Constituency,
and Emmanuel Agbaje,
who represents Akoko-
Edo Constituency II as
speaker and deputy
speaker respectively.
At the meeting, the 14
lawmakers-elect were
first sworn in and then,
together with three other
lawmakers who recently
pledged their allegiance
to Pastor Osagie Ize-
Iyamu, the All
Progressives Congress,
APC, governorship
candidate, claimed they
had impeached the
speaker and his deputy.
The Edo State House of
Assembly has been
embroiled in a crisis
since 2019, which has
now been worsened by
the buildup to the
governorship election.
Only 10 of 24
lawmakers elected
during the 2019 general
elections were
inaugurated on July 17,
2019, sparking a
controversy that
included intervention by
the National Assembly.
Five of the 10
lawmakers that were
inaugurated, including
then Deputy Speaker,
Yekini Idiaye, had
declared support for Ize-
Iyamu last week, after
accusing Governor
Godwin Obaseki of
rendering the legislature
in the state useless.
In retaliation, four of
the five inaugurated
lawmakers met on
Wednesday, impeached
Idiaye, and replaced him
with Asoro.
Shortly after the early
morning incident where
police took over the
assembly complex and
Okiye saying the
complex was under
renovation, pictures of
the lawmakers-elect
taking their oath of office
suddenly emerged.
The aide one of the 17
lawmakers told
Vanguard that Sunday
Aghedo, (APC, Ovia
South-West) moved a
motion signed by the
entire members calling
for Okiye’s ouster. He
was said to have been
seconded by Ohio
Ezomo (APC, Owan
West).
When the attention of
Okiye was drawn to the
development, he simply
said “It is a non-issue
and I don’t want to
respond to such.”
However, the
lawmaker’s aide said the
motion nominating
Edoror was moved by
Washington Osifo (APC,
Uhunmwonde) and
seconded by Hon Eric
Okaka (APC, Owan
East), and in the absence
of further nominations,
he was elected.
Chris Okaeben (APC,
Oredo West) was said to
have moved the motion
that got Emma Agbaje
(APC, Akoko-Edo II)
who acted as speaker
pro-tempore, elected as
deputy speaker.
Before the election, 12
of the 14 members who
were not sworn-in last
year reportedly took
their oaths administered
by Mr Tom Efezokhae,
the deputy clerk.
17 members reportedly
attended plenary, at the
end of which Ohio
Vanguard, FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2020 — 5
POCKET CARTOON
moved for adjournment
as the speaker
announced that plenary
will resume on Friday
(today) August 7, 2020.
Edoror said the 7th
Assembly would focus on
its legislative duties, and
not pursue the
impeachment of any
member of the executive
and called for unity and
togetherness, stating
that there was no victor,
no vanquished.
He also directed Edo
Commissioner of Police,
the Inspector-General of
Police, and other
security agencies to eject
the thugs who have
invaded the Assembly
complex in Benin to
allow for a rancour-free
plenary today (Friday,
August 7).
Continues on Page 41
VISIT: Chairman, Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF)/Gov. Abubakar
Bagudu (L) with Gov. Babagana Zulum, during Gov. Bagudu’s solidarity visit
over the recent attack on Zulum’s motorcade at Baga Town, Kukawa LGA, at the
Government House in Maiduguri, Borno State on Thursday. NAN Photo.
By Bose Adelaja
&
Olayinka Latona
On FG raising hate speech fine from N500,000 to N5m (1)
Okiye, Obaseki
condemn
opposition’s
alleged
desperation
Shortly after Police took
over the assembly
complex, some
supporters of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP,
This is an attempt to
relegate the media to
the background so that
they can satisfy and
promotetheir
ambitions.These
politicianskeep posturing
as all-knowing and allpowerful,
yet, they lack
political knowledge and
how to play politics.
-Folorunsho Taiwo,
Educational Consultant
This is symptomatic
of a shallow
understanding and
misrepresentation of the
media. This portrays a
dangerous and immature
politics. In mature
democracies, the media is
in conflict with back-door
policies inundated by shady
deals, but in our clime, it is
a sharp tongue that needs
to be tamed.
-Williams Folorunsho,
Writer
I
find it very funny
and ridiculous that the
FG truly raised the fine for
hate speech from
N500,000 to N5m. Where
are we heading to in this
country?
Meanwhile, the fine for
looting and other corrupt
practices by leaders and
their appointees is just a
meagre amount.
-Marcelina Kehinde,
Entrepreneur
It’s abuse of due process
by the Minister of
Information to announce
increase in fine against hate
speech from N500,000 to
N5m. The responsibility
solely rests with the
Nigeria Broadcasting
Commission, NBC. For
Arrogating that
responsibility to himself is
abuse of due process.
-Wusa Tadagbe, Software
Engineer
It’s a way to stop
the opposition from
criticising their poor
administration, not
necessarily the people.
N5m fine? Then everyone
should be arrested. In
which developed or
developing country do we
have such? It only shows
how backward we still are
as a country.
-Kareem Azeez, ACJ-
LASU President
Hate speech now
attracts fine of
N5m? Interesting! Are we
still in a country where
one of the fundamental
human rights is the right
to freedom of speech? I
would be happy if our
leaders deem it right to
pass a bill to execute
anyone found guilty of
corruption.
-Idris Ahmed,
Businessman