Edo Assembly crisis: We’ll continue to attend plenary —Pdp lawmakers

BENIN—THE nine Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lawmakers in Edo State House of Assembly, yesterday, said they will hold plenary at the Chief Anthony Enahoro Assembly, tomorrow, insisting that they have already appealed to the Supreme Court against the ruling of the Court of Appeal which barred them from sitting.

Factional Speaker of the Assembly, Chief Festus Ebea, said: “We have been following due process and we have regard for the rule of law. Our suspension has a time lapse and it has since lapsed after 14 days because there was sitting on June 10, 2014 which was the following day.

“The Police all over the world have the constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property, so I cannot speak for them.”

Ebea, who addressed newsmen in Benin yesterday, added that “the PDP lawmakers have filed an appeal at the Supreme Court and sought a stay of execution of the lower court’s order and until it is disposed of, our obeying the order should not be an issue.”

Quoting a Supreme Court judgment, he noted that the apex court had held when there was a pending appeal against a court ruling or order, those concerned cannot be forced to obey such order.

Commenting on the Federal High Court ruling last week, he said that the court did not bar them from sitting, noting that what it did was to strike out the prayer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, lawmakers which sought to restrain them from further purporting to carry out their legislative functions.

 

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Edo Assembly crisis: We’ll continue to attend plenary —Pdp lawmakers