The Imo state House of Assembly led by Rt. Hon. Collins Chiji has debunked the rumours that its mace was used in the inauguration of the Edo state House of Assembly.
The spokesman of the House, Honourable Dominic Ezerioha, denied the media reports linking the Imo Assembly to the Edo Assembly’s recent actions.
Ezerioha who is the house committee chairman on information and judiciary, on Monday, August 10, addressed journalists in the Imo state capital, Owerri, on the issue.
He exonerated the Imo Assembly from the actions of its Edo counterparts, saying they played no role in the recent happenings in the south-south state.
He further said the mace of Imo Assembly is completely intact and kept in a sacred place for legislative business.
“For the sake of the good people of Imo and that of Nigerians at large, the Imo state House of Assembly mace which is the symbol of authority for the legislature is completely intact.
“The speaker of Imo state House of Assembly is in possession of a legal meaning of the mace belonging to the state House of Assembly and until he ceases to become the speaker of Imo state House of Assembly, then the mace shall move to whoever it gets to,” he said.
Meanwhile, tension is mounting in Edo ahead of the state’s guber election as 17 lawmakers opposed to the re-election of Governor Godwin Obaseki has insisted on holding sittings at the House of Assembly complex.
A possible clash between the 17 lawmakers and those loyal to Governor Obaseki is now looming as impeached speaker Frank Okiye posited that the take-over of the assembly by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-backed lawmakers is an act of illegality which cannot stand.
Edo guber election will be held on September 19, in the 18 local government areas of the state with the Peoples Democratic Party and APC highlighting the pre-election battle of wits. Read more:
