Edo Assembly: Peace Meeting Collapses After Brawl

The crisis in the Edo State House of Assembly persisted on Wednesday as the warring lawmakers were unable to reach a peace deal in a meeting which lasted for over four hours.

The suspended members had held a speedy “session” in the absence of the mace on Tuesday, suspending the Speaker, Uyi Igbe, and other key members of the House and appointed new leaders, with the suspended Deputy Speaker, Festus Ebea, as the new Speaker.

In a bid to quell the crisis, 23 out of the 24 lawmakers decided to meet in the presence of the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Folusho Adebanjo, in the hallowed chamber, after a brawl ensued among the legislators, when the two factions tried to gain access to the chambers earlier in the day.

A member, Omo Ezomon, representing Owan West constituency, who was absent, was said to have been out of town.

Our correspondent gathered that the door to the chamber, which had been forced open by the suspended lawmakers, led by Ebea, on Tuesday, was shattered during the violent confrontation, with broking glass littering the floor of the chamber.

Pressmen were not allowed into the chamber while the policemen, who were drafted to the Assembly following the confrontation, allegedly secretly fired canisters of tear gas to keep guests and the journalists at bay.

It was observed through the shattered glass door, separating the chamber from the entry point, that the members made frequent telephones calls to their aides and political associates.

However, while the meeting was in progress, The PUNCH gathered that a court injunction was obtained barring the four members, who were suspended on Monday at the plenary, from entering the chamber.

The injunction was given in the suit, No B/70/OS/2014 between the applicants; Uyi Igbe (Speaker), Philip Shaibu (Majority Leader) and Edo State House of Assembly and AIG Zone 5, Commissioner of Police Edo State, Honourables Festus Ebea, Patrick Osayimen, and Jude Ise-Idehen, presided over by Justice V. O. Eboreime in High Court 10, Benin City.

Gabriel Oladejo represented the applicant while Ferdinand Orbih (SAN) stood for the defendants.

The court order read, “Order of interim injunction is hereby given restraining the Defendants by themselves or agents, assigns, privies or other persons acting for, through or by the Defendants from forcibly gaining entrance into the premises and legislative quarters of the 3rd Claimant pending the determination of the Motion on notice.”




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Source: The Punch

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