Senator Rochas Okorocha (Imo West) has faulted the decision of the Senate to take over the Edo State House of Assembly if the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, failed to issue a fresh proclamation in one week.
Okorocha, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said the Red Chamber is overreaching itself on the Edo Assembly issue, adding that the matter should be constructively resolved among concerned interests as a family affair issue and not the manner the National Assembly was going about it.
The Senate had during its plenary on Tuesday given Governor Obaseki one week to issue a fresh proclamation for the constitution of the Edo State House of Assembly or it would take over its legislative functions.
The Senate took the decision when it received the report of its ad hoc committee led by Sen. Abdullahi Sabi (APC Niger), which had, in the past two weeks, investigated the crisis in the assembly.
The committee had initially recommended three weeks for the take-over, but the recommendation was later amended to a week.
However, Okorocha took a contrary position on the take-over bid, saying the Senate appeared to be in a hurry to take-over the state Assembly.
The immediate past governor of Imo State said: “The National Assembly seems to be overreaching its boundary in this matter. We appear to be in a hurry to take over the Edo State House of Assembly.
“We should see this as a family affair in APC and we must not ridicule ourselves in public, rather we should look into the matter instead of this position the Senate is taking.
“I have been a governor before and I think what is happening in Edo is simply a failure of leadership which can be addressed,’’ he said.
President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan, while defending the position, said: “The decision is in conformity with the decision of the House of Representatives two weeks ago.
It will be recalled there have been crises in Edo State House of Assembly since June 17, following the refusal of some members-elect refusal to get inaugurated due to their disagreement of the choice of the leadership of State Assembly. However, the National Chairman of APC who happened to be the former Governor of Edo State has been fingered as the mastermind of the crisis.
Many civil society organizations and prominent Nigerians have condemned the action of the National Assembly on Edo State House of Assembly crisis as it amount to illegality as The National Assembly lacks the constitutional power to give directives or order to a Governor of a constituent state in Nigeria. In addition, It has been adjudged subjudice and disrespect to rule of law since the matter is before courts of competent jurisdiction already.