14 Edo lawmakers vacant says Obaseki

TRACKING___Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki has said that seat of the 14 State Assembly members not inaugurated remain constitutionally vacant.

He said the lawmakers refused to be inaugurated and failed to perform legislative duties within stipulated 180 days.

The governor spoke to journalists at the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Monday evening after paying a thank you visit to the leadership of the party.

Obaseki said “We have a dissident group that people elected and refused to be inaugurated, they were not prevented.

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.

“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 seats were declared vacant by the Speaker. There is nothing I can do that at this time.

I wish it didn’t happen but people were playing god and promising what is not constitutional.

“I’m not one that plant people into the House of Assembly, they on their own operated the rules the way it should be, the seats are now vacant.

Even if I wanted today to bring them back, I don’t have such powers”.

The governor expressed gratitude to the party for lending him a platform to contest the September 19 governorship election.

“You helped smoothen our entrance into PDP, you cleared us in record time so that we could participate in the primaries of the party.

You help us navigate through the whole process in which the other aspirants stepped down for me to allow me contest as the flag bearer for the party.

What is significant for Nigerians to note is that all of this happened within the 90 days time frame. It is a record.

It shows that you have men and women who are competent, professional, experienced and who mean well and understand what party administration is all about to be able to put all these together in a national party, without the kind of rancour we would have ordinarily expected.

“You gave us advise and support and showed Nigerians how to cope politically in a pandemic era.

“Working with your advise and strategy we under took a ward to ward campaign and I thank God that we did because it was only then that we realised the spread of PDP in Edo state.

Every hamlet, every community we went to, there were vestiges of PDP in which we could build in something.

“Our gratitude will be better expressed by staying loyal, hardworking and by rebuilding and making sure that as long as God permits, PDP will remain the party in control in Edo state and the whole of the south south”.

National chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus advised Obaseki not to let Edo peopke down but further improve on his achievements during his first term in office.

“You must now show the experience you came with from the private sector. In the political world, it is your ability to lead everyone together especially in this your last tenure.

“It is important to make sure that there are three arms of government – the executive which you head, even though you are the overall boss, make sure that the legislative arm, those who have offended you, who ran helter skelter, bring them back, they are your children.

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You are the father of Edo, bring them on board and work with all of them because that will be your legacy.

“It is not money or anything else but your ability to bring everybody on board to work with you and I am quite sure that Edo people are ready even those from the other party, who are willing to come, let them come”.