BEVERLY HILLS, October 06, (THEWILL) – Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki said he has no power to bring back the 14 elected members of the State House of Assembly.
While on a thank-you visit to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja on Monday, OBASEKI said the estranged elected members were not prevented from being inaugurated but “refused to be inaugurated”.
“They were listening to their godfather who kept hoping and promising that he would unconstitutionally get the state House of Assembly to reissue a proclamation even after the court had settled the matter. For more than 180 days they did not come. They refused to represent the people. Those seats became vacant; that’s what the constitution says.
“They went to court after those Seats were declared vacant by the Speaker. There is nothing I can do to that at this time. I wish it did not happen but people were playing God and promising what is not constitutionally possible. It is not about me. I am an elected governor of Edo. I am not one that plants people into the House of Assembly. They on their own operated the rules the way it should be, the seats are now vacant. We should learn that democracy is underpinned by the constitution and the law. Even if I wanted today to bring them back, I don’t have such powers. I do not have anything against them because I do not have such authority to bring them back to the House”, Obaseki said.
ALSO READ: Obaseki Visits Buhari, Says Returning To APC Is Immoral
The Governor was accompanied by his Deputy, Philip Shaibu and other Edo PDP leaders including former Minister of Works Mike Onolememen and the former Minister of External Affairs, Chief Tom Ikimi
About the Author
