Speaker Edoror fear jail, calls Hon. Eruaga to be sworn in today

The speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Edoror has bowed to pressure to swear in a member of the house representing Estako West 11 constituency, Sylvanus Eruagua.

The speaker after receiving court decision yesterday suddenly made a call, and invited the embattled lawmakers to be sworn in today, Tuesday.

Appeal court had given Hon Edoror 72 hours to appear in court for contempt, failure to swearing Hon. Eruaga as the duly elected member representing estate West 11 constituency.

 

Eruaga has been dealing with the problem for months after being declared at the election tribunal as the legitimate winner of the election.

Rumour has it that the governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole swore not to allow the Hon. in as it would be disgraceful to allow a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to representing his constituency, under All Progressives Congress.

Hon. Eruaga while speaking with NAIJA CENTER NEWS yesterday confirmed the rumour that the governor was behind the delay. He categorically quoted the speaker as saying that he should settle with the governor if he wanted to be sworn in.

Eruaga said: “It is a very terrible situation, on the 19th of December, I won and the INEC received a directive to give me a certificate of return, and withdraw that of the man who lost. Three months after, I have not been sworn in, i have exhausted all avenue. The speaker started by saying that they were preparing for my swearing in, they wrote to the governor to approve the funds for the swearing in, they have to dress the preparation. I waited for about a month, there was nothing.

“When i was now pressing him, he said my certificate of return, there is a petition from my constituency that it was forged. What kind of type of child game is that? How can i win election petition both in the tribunal and in the appeal court go and forge a certificate of INEC?

“Even when they confirmed the authenticity in Abuja, they could not swear me in, they went to file a case in the same appeal court asking the court to reverse my judgement that it was wrongly given. After three months, the appeal court was angry and struck the case as they cannot turn the appeal court to a toilet.

“This time around, the man has no excuse again, he has nothing to say. My constituency has not been represented. The budget has been approved and there is no one representing the governor’s constituency. Which offence did i commit? Because i  am a member of the PDP and there is APC government in the state.

“I have to go back to the same appeal court to ask them to mandate the speaker to swear me in compulsorily which they have told the speaker but he refused. Today, the court finally gave on the 7th as the last day for the speaker and the rest of them to appear for refusing to swear me in or face jail.

“Speaking concerning who is responsible for his woes, Eruaga said “The speaker once told me at a particular time that i should go and settle with the governor, and that he has nothing against him. He confessed that the governor directed him not to swear me in or he will fire him.  After sometimes, i had to believe the speaker because he does not really have anything against him, they just deliberately refused to swear me in.

Mr Eruaga warned the governor that people that live in glass houses should not throw stone. He reminded the governor that there would be another day as power is not permanent.

 

 

 

 

 

Speaker Edoror fear jail, calls Hon. Eruaga to be sworn in today

EDHA Speaker, Edoror risks Jail for Contempt.

‎

The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin Edo state capital today ordered the Speaker of the state house of Assembly, Mr. Victor Edoror and clerk of the house, Barrister Lawson Ugiagbe to appear before it on Thursday for deliberately disobeying its order to swear in  Mr. Sylvanus Eruaga as member representing Etsako West constituency 11.

Justice Olukayode Bada who issued the order today asked the state solicitor General of the state, Mr. Oluwole Iyamu to produce Mr. Edoror and Barr. Ugiagbe personally in court for them to show cause why they should not be committed to prison.

justice Bada noted that Edoror and Ugiagbe through their counsel rebuffed attempts by counsel to the PDP candidate, Barr. Dele Igbinedion to resolve the dispute arising from the court’s issuance of forms 48 and 49 at which the appellate had on March 21 this year ordered the parties settle outside the court.

Both the speaker and the clerk are facing contempt charges before the court after counsel to the PDP obtained forms 48 and 49 respectively for refusing to swear in Mr. Eruaga as member of the house of assembly.

The delayed swearing in of Mr. Eruaga of the PDP has been a subject of controversy between forces loyal to the opposition party and the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state.

According to Justice Bada, the speaker and clerk should appear before the honourable court to show cause why they should not be committed to prison for neglect and disobedience of order of the court.

He observed with dismay that Eruaga’s lawyer (Dele Igbinedion) had made attempts to discuss through counsel to the respondents but they rebuffed him in the process.

Mr. Ken Mozia (SAN) is the counsel representing the APC and the state chairman of the party (Anslem Ojezua), Mr. Matthew Ugwuocha represents INEC while the Solicitor General of Edo state Mr. Oluwole represents the speaker and the clerk in the suit

EDHA Speaker, Edoror risks Jail for Contempt. 

Edo State: Why members moved to impeach speaker, Victor Edoror

There was tension at the premises of the Edo State House of Assembly Monday over alleged plot to impeach Speaker Victor Edoror.

Hon. Victor Edoror

Workers at the assembly spoke in low tunes about his possible impeachment, while sympathizers of the speaker stayed around his office.

The lawmakers did not sit till about 5pm and held plenary for about 10 minutes because of executive session of the lawmakers which lasted over four hours.

Sources said some lawmakers were peeved following discovery that council chairmen in the 18 local government paid N2m each to the Speaker for the renovation of the lawmakers’ quarters.

Another source said the council chairmen have been paying N1.3m each to the lawmakers for the past six months.

Last month, the lawmakers were said to have collected N3m from the council chairmen to suppress a report on the council’s Internally Generated Revenue prepared by a committee headed by the Deputy Speaker, Bright Osayande

Besides, some of the lawmakers were said not to have been happy with the handling of the house leadership under Speaker Edoror.

Lawmakers who spoke under anonymity said they were searching for the mole among them.

They said the impeachment process was still on and that it was only postponed.

Speaker Edoror could not be reached for comments as his aides said he was still at a meeting as at press time.

Edo State: Why members moved to impeach speaker, Victor Edoror