House Rejects Intervention in Edo Politics
From Onwuka Nzeshi in Abuja THISDAY | Feb.19.2010

The House of Representatives yesterday kicked against a motion seeking the federal parliament’s intervention in the recent suspension of some chairmen of local government councils by the Edo State Government over alleged acts of corruption and abuse of office.

Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole had on Wednesday suspended two council chairmen in his State and ordered investigations into allegations of abuse of office levelled against them. The allegations included misappropriation of public funds, inflation of contracts, and deliberate abandonment of projects and disbursement of funds without following the due process of appropriation by the legislative arms of the councils.

Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Honourable Tunde Akogun (PDP Edo), who raised the issue as a matter of urgent public importance wanted the House to intervene in the political developments in the state because of what he described as the danger such actions posed to democracy in the country.
According to him, the decision of Oshiomhole to sack the local council chiefs coming about eight months after the same treatment was meted to the Oredo Local Government Council chairman was a dangerous trend as it was done through executive fiat.

Akogun urged the House to deliberate on the issue with a view to condemning it and seeking a halt to such a trend before it consumed the country’s young democracy.
The motion was short-lived as the Minority of the House, Honourable Mohammed Ndume raised point of order, to the effect that such an issue was an internal matter of the Edo state and could amount to meddlesomeness if the House of Representatives entertained the motion.
As soon as that observation was made, the issue was put to vote and majority of lawmakers in plenary voted that the motion be dropped immediately.

Meanwile, Oshimhole has commended members of the House of Representatives for throwing out the motion. The Governor who spoke yesterday during the swearing-in of Acting Chairmen for the Council said “let me use this opportunity to comment on what I believe some of you might have watched on the proceedings at the House of Representatives in Abuja . We saw a dying godfather mobilising completely disillusioned followers as few as they are, beneficiaries of his weakened machinery to sponsor a motion through the House of Reps for it to condemn the suspension of the Chairmen.”
The governor queried why they went through the House of Representatives rather than the State House of Assembly which had the mandate to look into such matters.
He said “the right to have done was to run to the State House of Assembly, but they couldn’t do that, because you know, no condition is permanent. The situation in the House is not as it used to be.”
Meanwhile, Oshiomhole yesterday set up two commissions of enquiry with a charge to carry out their assignment with all diligence.

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