GODWIN Obaseki, Governor of Edo State says he has no power to bring back members of the State Houses of Assembly whose seats were declared vacant by the Speaker of the House.
Obaseki said this while addressing journalists during his visit to the National Working Committee (NWC), of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Abuja on Monday.
“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.
According to the governor, the 14 lawmakers refused to be inaugurated hence their seats were declared vacant by the Speaker of the Assembly.
“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,” he said.
“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 were declared vacant by the Speaker. There is nothing I can do to that at this time,” Obaseki added.
He stated that he did not ‘plant anyone’ in the Assembly to ensure that the seats were declared vacant.
“It is not about me. I am an elected governor of Edo. I am not one that plants people into the house of Assembly.
“I wish it did not happen but people were playing God and promising what is not constitutionally possible. 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,” he noted.
During his visit, the re-elected governor was accompanied by Philip Shaibu, his deputy and some other PDP leaders from Edo including Mike Onolememen, former Minister of Works and Tom Ikimi, the former Minister of External Affairs.
Earlier in December 2019, the leadership of the Edo State House of Assembly declared the seats of 12 members who have avoided the chamber since its inauguration on June 17, 2019.
According to the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Yekini Idiaye, two other seats that did not meet the mandatory sitting requirement were also declared vacant.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94