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Obaseki vs Senate: The Crisis Gets Messier
By Eric Elezuo
By all means, the last has not been heard of the imbroglio between the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led Edo State government and the Nigeria Senate over who has absolute right or rather who is right or wrong in the crisis bedevilling the state House of Assembly.
On Tuesday, July 30, 2019, during plenary, the Senate, against all odds, ruled that the Edo State government, through Governor Godwin Obaseki, must issue a fresh proclamation with all the 24 members of the state House of Assembly present. The order set the stage for a fresh crisis – this time, a crisis of power tussle.
It was initially believed that the crisis which engulfed the House of Assembly in the past few weeks was pitched between the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his hitherto godfather and the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. However, events have taken a dramatic turn ever since the National Assembly took over and investigated the matter that prompted the proclamation of the Edo House of Assembly with only nine members, purportedly loyal to the governor, in attendance.
Contrary to expectation, the Senate took sides with the group alleged to be sponsored by Comrade Oshiomhole, and issued a one week ultimatum, asking Governor Obaseki to issue a fresh ultimatum or risk take over of the business of the Assembly by the Senate. That order did not go down well with the Edo State government, and they have vowed never to play along thereby creating a new rift between the national lawmaking body and the government in Edo State.
It was the former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, who stood against the senate’s recommendation, describing it as “an insult” on the state governor, adding that the crisis is a family matter as it involves members of the All Progressives Congress. But his contribution was not necessary as the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, already insisted on the ultimatum.
Notable personalities such the Niger Delta leader, Chief Edwin Clark and other human rights groups also condemned the Senate’s decision, describing it as illegal.
A statement by Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie, noted that the move by the Senate to take over the house was premeditated, blaming high profile political pressure on the Senate to the disadvantage of Edo people.
“We are also concerned that the Members of the Distinguished Senate appear to have very scant regards for the principle of separation of powers as enshrined in our constitution which is manifested by their taking over the functions of the judiciary in dispute resolution and giving directives to a Government of a state who is certainly not subject to the supervision of the National Assembly,” the government stressed.
The Senate, on its part, has insisted on the one week ultimatum, hanging on the constitutional provision embedded in Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which allows it take over the functions of the state assembly.
It asked the governor to as a matter of urgency, formally inform all the 24 members-elect of the new proclamation via print and electronic media platforms.
The amended section of the constitution provides that “at any time when any House of Assembly of a State is unable to perform its functions by reason of the situation prevailing in that State, the National Assembly may make such laws for the peace, order and good government of that State with respect to matters on which a House of Assembly may make laws as may appear to the National Assembly to be necessary or expedient until such time as the House of Assembly is able to resume its functions;
“And any such laws enacted by the National Assembly pursuant to this section shall have effect as if they were laws enacted by the House of Assembly of the State: Provided that nothing in this section shall be construed as conferring on the National Assembly power to remove the Governor or the Deputy Governor of the State from office.”
However, in a twist of fate, a Port Harcourt High Friday ruled that the National Assembly, the Police or the Department of State Service (DSS) has no right to take over or interfere with the activities of the Edo State House of Assembly. This brings to a partial end of the brouhaha, but at the same time raises standards for counter attack from the Senate.
The High Court, which also restrained Governor Obaseki from issuing another proclamation letter, ruled that all orders are permanent until the determination of the case. A typical case of stalemate, at least for the Senate.
The crisis in the Edo State House of Assembly is centred on its inauguration and the election of a new speaker in the person of Mr. Francis Okiye.
The other lawmakers-elect were supposedly excluded in order to prevent Oshiomhole’s loyalists from taking control of the legislature.
Stakeholders have blamed the crisis on the issue of succession. A former Chairman of the APC, Chief Odigie-Oyegun, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Political Affairs, Chief Ray Murphy, noted that Oshiomhole is after Obaseki because he does not want him in office by 2020.
“Today, there are all kinds of rancour coming from Edo State. They all boil down to attempt by godfather and godfatherism heating up the polity in the state.
“To what purpose is this idea of the APC chairman putting the state under tension? Ask anybody from Edo state: what is Obaseki’s biggest distraction and they will tell you that his distraction is not whether he has governed well or not, but from his immediate predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole.
“What has been trending is how his predecessor who happens to be the party chairman doesn’t want him back in the office,” Odigie said.
In his response, Oshiomhole denied having personal issues with Obaseki. He said that as a ‘democrat’, he is more concerned with good governance.
“For me, it’s very embarrassing if any state governor, particularly of APC extraction, will do anything that is less than what the constitution says and the example that our president has set,” Oshiomhole stressed.
As the senate’s ultimatum expires on Tuesday, August 6, 2019, and with a court injunction restraining any form of takeover, it would be recalled that the Members of the House of Representatives had on July 17, given a one-week ultimatum to the Edo State Governor to issue a fresh proclamation for the Edo State House of Assembly, a development that is yet to yield fruit as the ultimatum has since expired. It is not even known how the Senate intends to run the Edo as it has embarked on a two months recess.
While both the Senate and the Edo State government (Obaseki) have legitimate grounds to make their cases, time will tell whose muscle will be strong enough to intimidate the other.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he has told US negotiators “not to rush into a deal” with Iran, amid anticipation — and mounting criticism — of an agreement to end the war in the Middle East.
“The negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
“The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.”
The United States has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports since April 13 after Tehran virtually halted traffic through the economically vital Strait of Hormuz in response to the US-Israeli attacks on Iran that began February 28.
“Both sides must take their time and get it right,” Trump wrote in the same Truth Social post, while slamming the 2015 nuclear deal that former president Barack Obama agreed with Iran.
“Our relationship with Iran is becoming a much more professional and productive one. They must understand, however, that they cannot develop or procure a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb,” Trump wrote.
While the White House has not released aspects of the deal, Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Saturday on state television that the two sides were nearing a “a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement composed of 14 clauses,” in “a trend toward rapprochement.”
Several voices, notably among Republican lawmakers close to Trump, expressed fears of an agreement favorable to Iran as supposed aspects of the deal that began to leak.
According to news outlet Axios, a possible agreement would extend the current ceasefire by 60 days, during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Iran would freely sell oil, and negotiations would be held on Iran’s nuclear program.
The top Republican senator overseeing defense policy, Roger Wicker, said that agreeing to a “rumored 60-day ceasefire” with Iran would mean, “everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!”
Fellow Republican senators Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham also voiced opposition to Iran soon gaining benefits such as the ability to sell its oil freely.
“If the result of all that is to be an Iranian regime — still run by Islamists who chant ‘death to America’ — now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium & develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake,” Cruz, a Republican from Texas, wrote on X.
Thom Tillis, a Republican senator from North Carolina, said the deal “doesn’t make sense to me.”
“We were told about 11 weeks ago by (Secretary of Defense Pete) Hegseth and the Department of Defense that they had obliterated Iran’s defenses, and it was just a matter of time before we had the nuclear material. Now we’re talking about a posture where we may accept the nuclear material remaining in Iran. How does that make sense at all?” Tillis said on CNN’s “State of the Union” morning program.
AFP
Adebayo Adelabu, one of the aspirants for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket in Oyo State, has alleged irregularities in the party’s governorship primary election held on Thursday.
Adelabu, who expressed dissatisfaction over the conduct of the exercise, stated that the primary was characterized by misconduct ranging from disenfranchisement of his supporters in some wards and the commencement of election process earlier than scheduled.
Speaking after the conclusion of the primary election at IMG School, Ward 9, Ibadan South-East Local Government Area, the immediate past Minister of Power alleged that the process was neither free, fair nor credible.
He said: “Before our people started getting to their various wards, they have already conducted the election and they wrote the figures they want as results.
“In some wards, our people were prevented from voting. They were intimidated. They were chased away violently. And in some wards, voting did not take place at all.
“All this kind of misconduct is not good at this stage of our democracy in Nigeria, and something has to be done about it.”
Adelabu, therefore, vowed to come up with serious petitions against all the irregularities not just in Ibadan, but across all the five geopolitical zones in Oyo State.
“Also, conduct of many party executives is uncalled for, a lot of people bought forms and they were cleared. And they decided to conduct affirmation of a particular candidate in some wards.
“There was nothing like consensus arrangement. It was just a figment of their weird imagination. The instruction we got from Abuja was that we should all carry out free, fair, and transparent direct primary election where every aspirant will be given a level playing ground and the election will be conducted peacefully.
“Where did they get the idea of consensus candidates? And this is what happened in a lot of the wards. And it didn’t go down well with us. “We don’t want that. We are going to assess the gravity of this gross misconduct and the potential impact on the overall result of this election.
“I will put a petition forward to the appropriate authorities so that it can be deeply investigated and there must be consequences to this. The people who perpetrated this misconduct must be identified and punished. And the aspirants involved also need to be suspended because this is not good for us.
“Democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people where nobody should be disenfranchised. Once you are a party member, you should have that freedom, that authority to pick an aspirant of your choice as the flag bearer of the party.
“This is Ibadan, this is Oyo State and this the centre of politics in the southwest. And we should be able to lay good examples and the process should produce a candidate that won transparently, freely and fairly,” he said.
Meanwhile, at Ward 9, Ibadan South-East Local Government, Adelabu, polled 430 to defeat his closest rival, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, who had 3 votes.
Al Nassr captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, has finally won the Saudi Pro League title.
They were confirmed champions on Thursday, thanks to a 4-2 drubbing of relegation battlers, Damac.
The title race had gone down to the final day after Al-Nassr dramatically dropped points against Al-Hilal the previous week.
Jorge Jesus’ side knew there could be no mistakes against a Damac side fighting for survival at the other end of the table.
Ronaldo was on the scoresheet, as his brace helped Al Nassr secure the title ahead of rivals Al Hilal.
