The impeachment last week of the speaker of the Edo State
House of Assembly and his deputy came to many people as a
surprise but keen observers of the politics in the assembly and
the state saw it coming, writes BANJI ALUKO.
For those, who have closely monitored political activities in Edo
State, especially as it concerns the Edo State House of
Assembly, last Tuesday’s impeachment of the speaker of the
state assembly, Hon Victor Edoror, and his deputy, Bright
Osayande, would not have come as a surprise. From the
moment the youthful Edoror was pronounced speaker early
June, 2015, question marks hanged over his capacity to preside
over the 24-member assembly. As one of the youngest
lawmakers in the assembly, people argued that he would need
to be at his best to remain on a seat that many have found too
hot.
Good fortune had thrown the speakership at his lap and many
feared that he got the position too easily. The speakership had
been zoned to the Edo Central where he came from and as the
only returning lawmaker of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
the position became his right. Sensing that he was too
inexperienced to be speaker some lawmakers such Elizabeth
Ativie and Bright Osayande had attempted to slug it out with him
for the position but their schemes were quickly drowned by
advocates of zoning and equity. The schemers accepted that
they must make do with Edoror as speaker and moved on with
their legislative works.
However, it did not take a long time before they started asking
Edoror some questions. Such opportunity presented itself on
March 8, 2016, and it nearly consumed Edoror. On that day, a
rowdy plenary ended abruptly. Few minutes into the plenary,
some lawmakers had started to raise their voices against the
Speaker and a shouting match ensued among the lawmakers.
The lawmakers, especially the speaker attempted to keep the
reasons behind the commotion under wraps but it was a little
too late. Words had spread that the lawmakers were fighting the
speaker for not showing concern about their welfare. The
lawmakers were particularly piqued that after about nine months
in office, they still had not received some operational logistics
including official cars. The lawmakers, that day, succumbed to
the wishes of the speaker and adjourned plenary for two weeks.
While Edoror survived the March 8, uprising, he however, could
not withstand what happened on Tuesday. The previous week,
the lawmakers were said to have uncovered some details of
money inflow from the executive to the assembly without their
knowledge. They had earlier suspected it, now they have proofs.
The lawmakers were said to have been shocked to learn that the
speaker receives the sum of N54 million every month for the
running of the assembly, while they lack certain conveniences.
The lawmakers also lamented that while the ex-speaker received
N9.5 million monthly for running his office, they receive
N370,000 as salaries. Another allegation was that out of about
45 special advisers allocated to the assembly, the former
speaker alone appropriated 25 to himself while most of the
ordinary members were left out.
To demonstrate their resolve to battle the impeached speaker,
the new speaker, Hon Elizabeth Ativie, in her remark shortly
after she became speaker said the Assembly could no longer
tolerate the corrupt practices of the speaker, pointing out that
the impeached speaker had about six cases with the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). She immediately
constituted a five-member committee to investigate what she
termed the financial recklessness of the impeached speaker
from the inception of his speakership in June 2015 to May 3,
2016, adding that the report of the committee would be handed
over to the appropriate authority.
Also speaking, Hon. Adjoto Kabiru (Akoko-Edo I) said the
impeached speaker was a “violently corrupt person, who has a
flair for eating government money the way squirrel eats palm
kernel”.
He said, “As at today, Edoror has a lot of cases hanging on his
neck. Media men can go and verify this. We cannot afford to
have a speaker, who is been investigated by the EFCC because
of his corrupt nature.”
Following the impeachment and the insistence by Edoror that he
remained speaker, the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, and
the leadership of the APC in the state are trying to broker peace
among the lawmakers before Monday plenary. At a meeting
held with them last Tuesday, the lawmakers were said to have
confronted him with the many ‘sins’ of Edoror. It was gathered
that the governor attempted to persuade the lawmakers to
change their decision but each of the members narrated to the
governor and leaders of the party how the ex-speaker had let
them down, saying that while the ex-speaker was getting richer,
majority of them were getting poorer. It was learnt that some of
the lawmakers threatened to dump the party for the PDP in case
they are coerced into bringing Edoror back as speaker.
Oshiomhole, however, may not have given up bringing Edoror
back and has slated another meeting with the lawmakers
today. The imbalance in the sharing of political offices thrown
up by Edoror’s impeachment is one of the reasons Oshiomhole
is not comfortable with what has happened. The matter is said
to be of grave concern to Governor Oshiomhole and the
leadership of the APC in Edo State. When Oshiomhole observed
that the lawmakers were not ready to listen to his pleas, he was
said to have met with other leaders of the party, including the
state chairman of APC, Anslem Ojezua, who is from the same
senatorial district as the impeached Speaker.
Edoror’s successor, Ativie is from the Edo South (Benin), the
same zone that has the deputy governor. The new arrangement
leaves the Edo Central (Esan) with none of the top three political
offices in the state as Oshiomhole is from the Edo North zone.
Expectedly, some of the Esan people have described the
removal of Edoror as the peak of the marginalization of their
region. For the APC, Edoror’s removal will only add to the noise
of the Esan people that their interests have not been well-served
under the Adams Oshiomhole’s administration.
The biggest concern of the APC, however, is that the Edo Central
is the stronghold of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP). The PDP has won every National Assembly seat in the
area since 1999. The PDP still managed to win three out of the
six state House of Assembly seats in the area despite what was
described as the Buhari effect that gave victory to APC
candidates in the elections conducted after the presidential and
National Assembly elections. The PDP has also reserved the
deputy governorship slot to the area, making the APC fear that
the PDP may sweep the zone during the September
10 governorship election, especially if the APC deputy
governorship candidate or aspirant is not given to the area.
The Oshiomhole versus Odubu connection
Coming just after the much-publicised crisis between Governor
Oshiomhole and his deputy, Pius Odubu, many reasoned that the
impeachment was connected to the succession fiasco in the Edo
State chapter of the APC. However, there is nothing on ground
to suggest that the two situations are connected. Neither the
Oshiomhole camp nor the Odubu camp is celebrating the new
order. Out of the 24 lawmakers in the assembly, 16 on Tuesday
signed the impeachment notice of the speaker, while another
lawmaker, Osaigbovo Iyoha (APC Oredo East) joined the anti-
Edoror lawmakers the following day. Among the 17 lawmakers
are three out of the four PDP lawmakers in the assembly.
House of Assembly and his deputy came to many people as a
surprise but keen observers of the politics in the assembly and
the state saw it coming, writes BANJI ALUKO.
For those, who have closely monitored political activities in Edo
State, especially as it concerns the Edo State House of
Assembly, last Tuesday’s impeachment of the speaker of the
state assembly, Hon Victor Edoror, and his deputy, Bright
Osayande, would not have come as a surprise. From the
moment the youthful Edoror was pronounced speaker early
June, 2015, question marks hanged over his capacity to preside
over the 24-member assembly. As one of the youngest
lawmakers in the assembly, people argued that he would need
to be at his best to remain on a seat that many have found too
hot.
Good fortune had thrown the speakership at his lap and many
feared that he got the position too easily. The speakership had
been zoned to the Edo Central where he came from and as the
only returning lawmaker of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
the position became his right. Sensing that he was too
inexperienced to be speaker some lawmakers such Elizabeth
Ativie and Bright Osayande had attempted to slug it out with him
for the position but their schemes were quickly drowned by
advocates of zoning and equity. The schemers accepted that
they must make do with Edoror as speaker and moved on with
their legislative works.
However, it did not take a long time before they started asking
Edoror some questions. Such opportunity presented itself on
March 8, 2016, and it nearly consumed Edoror. On that day, a
rowdy plenary ended abruptly. Few minutes into the plenary,
some lawmakers had started to raise their voices against the
Speaker and a shouting match ensued among the lawmakers.
The lawmakers, especially the speaker attempted to keep the
reasons behind the commotion under wraps but it was a little
too late. Words had spread that the lawmakers were fighting the
speaker for not showing concern about their welfare. The
lawmakers were particularly piqued that after about nine months
in office, they still had not received some operational logistics
including official cars. The lawmakers, that day, succumbed to
the wishes of the speaker and adjourned plenary for two weeks.
While Edoror survived the March 8, uprising, he however, could
not withstand what happened on Tuesday. The previous week,
the lawmakers were said to have uncovered some details of
money inflow from the executive to the assembly without their
knowledge. They had earlier suspected it, now they have proofs.
The lawmakers were said to have been shocked to learn that the
speaker receives the sum of N54 million every month for the
running of the assembly, while they lack certain conveniences.
The lawmakers also lamented that while the ex-speaker received
N9.5 million monthly for running his office, they receive
N370,000 as salaries. Another allegation was that out of about
45 special advisers allocated to the assembly, the former
speaker alone appropriated 25 to himself while most of the
ordinary members were left out.
To demonstrate their resolve to battle the impeached speaker,
the new speaker, Hon Elizabeth Ativie, in her remark shortly
after she became speaker said the Assembly could no longer
tolerate the corrupt practices of the speaker, pointing out that
the impeached speaker had about six cases with the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). She immediately
constituted a five-member committee to investigate what she
termed the financial recklessness of the impeached speaker
from the inception of his speakership in June 2015 to May 3,
2016, adding that the report of the committee would be handed
over to the appropriate authority.
Also speaking, Hon. Adjoto Kabiru (Akoko-Edo I) said the
impeached speaker was a “violently corrupt person, who has a
flair for eating government money the way squirrel eats palm
kernel”.
He said, “As at today, Edoror has a lot of cases hanging on his
neck. Media men can go and verify this. We cannot afford to
have a speaker, who is been investigated by the EFCC because
of his corrupt nature.”
Following the impeachment and the insistence by Edoror that he
remained speaker, the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, and
the leadership of the APC in the state are trying to broker peace
among the lawmakers before Monday plenary. At a meeting
held with them last Tuesday, the lawmakers were said to have
confronted him with the many ‘sins’ of Edoror. It was gathered
that the governor attempted to persuade the lawmakers to
change their decision but each of the members narrated to the
governor and leaders of the party how the ex-speaker had let
them down, saying that while the ex-speaker was getting richer,
majority of them were getting poorer. It was learnt that some of
the lawmakers threatened to dump the party for the PDP in case
they are coerced into bringing Edoror back as speaker.
Oshiomhole, however, may not have given up bringing Edoror
back and has slated another meeting with the lawmakers
today. The imbalance in the sharing of political offices thrown
up by Edoror’s impeachment is one of the reasons Oshiomhole
is not comfortable with what has happened. The matter is said
to be of grave concern to Governor Oshiomhole and the
leadership of the APC in Edo State. When Oshiomhole observed
that the lawmakers were not ready to listen to his pleas, he was
said to have met with other leaders of the party, including the
state chairman of APC, Anslem Ojezua, who is from the same
senatorial district as the impeached Speaker.
Edoror’s successor, Ativie is from the Edo South (Benin), the
same zone that has the deputy governor. The new arrangement
leaves the Edo Central (Esan) with none of the top three political
offices in the state as Oshiomhole is from the Edo North zone.
Expectedly, some of the Esan people have described the
removal of Edoror as the peak of the marginalization of their
region. For the APC, Edoror’s removal will only add to the noise
of the Esan people that their interests have not been well-served
under the Adams Oshiomhole’s administration.
The biggest concern of the APC, however, is that the Edo Central
is the stronghold of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP). The PDP has won every National Assembly seat in the
area since 1999. The PDP still managed to win three out of the
six state House of Assembly seats in the area despite what was
described as the Buhari effect that gave victory to APC
candidates in the elections conducted after the presidential and
National Assembly elections. The PDP has also reserved the
deputy governorship slot to the area, making the APC fear that
the PDP may sweep the zone during the September
10 governorship election, especially if the APC deputy
governorship candidate or aspirant is not given to the area.
The Oshiomhole versus Odubu connection
Coming just after the much-publicised crisis between Governor
Oshiomhole and his deputy, Pius Odubu, many reasoned that the
impeachment was connected to the succession fiasco in the Edo
State chapter of the APC. However, there is nothing on ground
to suggest that the two situations are connected. Neither the
Oshiomhole camp nor the Odubu camp is celebrating the new
order. Out of the 24 lawmakers in the assembly, 16 on Tuesday
signed the impeachment notice of the speaker, while another
lawmaker, Osaigbovo Iyoha (APC Oredo East) joined the anti-
Edoror lawmakers the following day. Among the 17 lawmakers
are three out of the four PDP lawmakers in the assembly.
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