The 14 members-elect of the Edo Assembly prevented from being inaugurated to the 8th Assembly have lamented the slow wheels of justice on the saga, a situation it attributes to undemocratic delay tactics deployed by legal forces loyal to Edo Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.
For two years and seven months, a case lodged at the State High Court to challenge their unconstitutional exclusion from the inauguration of the 8th Assembly, despite having satisfied all legal requirements to represent their constituents, has been stalled by incessant switches of presiding judges among other underhand tactics deployed to frustrate its hearing.
Hon. Victor Edoror, a former Speaker of the Assembly who is also affected by logjam, says the hold-up is a deliberate ploy to avert the dispensation of justice by those who are keen on sustaining the unconstitutional arrangement in the state where the legislative arm is composed of minority members.
He said this at an Abuja press conference convened by the Strategic Advocacy Outreach, a civil society organization led by Mr. John Mayaki that recently demanded the intervention of the President, Attorney General of the Federation, NBA Chairman, and other pro-democracy agencies and institutions on the matter.
He was joined by other affected members, including Hon. Uyi Ekhosuehi and Barr. Eric Okaka, both of whom narrated disturbing tales of how they were abducted in the night and forced to participate in the sham and restricted inauguration exercise organized by the Governor.
Commending the efforts of the CSO, Hon. Edoror also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the supremacy of the rule of law on the matter and avoid the potential blot to his record that under his watch, such an anomaly was allowed to become a precedent.
He said: “We have watched with dismay how for 2 years and seven months, our attempt to get the judiciary to affirm the position of the law on this matter and put an end to the illegality devised and executed by the Governor has been met with sinister roadblocks and clear attempts to deny justice through delays.”
“The case has been passed from one judge to another since we instituted it and we are presently on the eighth judge. So displeased was Judge Esther Idigie about the thinly-veiled attempt to frustrate the hearing that she drew up a written understanding calling for an end to the irregularity. But her attempt to try the case was frustrated and we couldn’t make any headway until she retired.”
He recounted how repeated attempts to get Governor Godwin Obaseki to issue a proper proclamation for the inauguration of the Assembly fell on deaf ears, before the 17th of June 2019 incident in which some members were violently hijacked for an illegal inauguration.
Corroborating his account of the incident was Hon. Uyi Ekhosuehi, one of the members who participated in the sham inauguration exercise under the threat of violence. According to him, a situation where he was taken against his will to take part in an unconstitutional act does not fit with his idea for a society organized and administered by clearly-defined constitutional laws and guidelines.
He said: “I was forcefully taken and offered money, but I turned it down. Up till today, there has been no formal invitation for inauguration by the Governor and others responsible. This should help lay to rest the false impression being sold that we absconded. It is not possible for people to run for elections, secure victory, and then refuse to carry out their duties. We were threatened to join an illegal process and we refused based on principles. We are on a path of justice and we are counting on well-meaning Nigerians and bodies like the Strategy Advocacy Outreach to support us in this cause.”
On his part, Barr. Eric Okaka emphasized that their absence in the 8th Assembly strips it of any legal legitimacy, with the implication being that its decisions, including Bill passage and financial approvals, cannot stand legal scrutiny as they cannot be said to be approved by the people of Edo State, a majority of whom are denied representation.
Also recounting the ordeal he suffered on the day of the illegal inauguration exercise, he said: “I was one of those persons who were abducted to forcefully join that midnight inauguration. We were lured with a request that the Deputy Governor, Mr. Philip Shaibu, wanted to speak with us. On getting to his residence, our phones and car keys were snatched. We were marched into a waiting bus with guns pointed at our heads; we were treated like criminals.”
“They drove us to the Assembly complex where an army of thugs and compromised policemen had gathered. Because I had refused money bribes and an attempt to dress me up in a borrowed suit for the illegal act, the Deputy Governor told me pointedly: “If you are not ready to cooperate, a security man will be instructed to shoot you and a gun will be planted on your chest at ring road