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Tag: Hon Justin Okonoboh

  • Edo Speaker’s impeachment: Lawmakers rejects Obaseki’s plea

    Edo Speaker’s impeachment: Lawmakers rejects Obaseki’s plea

    Efforts by Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to placate lawmakers in the Edo State House of Assembly to rescind their decision to remove Hon Justin Okonoboh as Speaker was said to have failed.

    Governor Obaseki and the leadership of the All Progressive Congress in the state met with the lawmakers shortly after the removal of Okonoboh at the state secretariat of the party.

    The meeting was held behind closed doors for more than three hours.

    Deputy Governor of the state, Hon Philip Shaibu and all the APC lawmakers attended the meeting.

    Sources at the meeting said the lawmakers refused to listen to pleas to return to status quo by maintaining that the leadership of the Assembly was at their discretion.

    Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, State Chairman of the party, Barr. Anselm Ojezua said the party has intervened in the matter.

    Ojezua noted that there was evidence of disagreement but that all the warring parties were on talking terms.

    He said the party would schedule another meeting with the lawmakers after which the party would release a statement on the matter.

    The APC chairman was however silent on whether the lawmakers agreed to return to status quo.

    The impeached Speaker said he abide by the party’s decision.

  • Obaseki, APC leaders meet warring Edo lawmakers

    Obaseki, APC leaders meet warring Edo lawmakers

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki is currently at a meeting with lawmakers in the Edo State House of Assembly at the state secretariat of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    Also at the meeting are the Deputy Governor, Hon Philip Shaibu and some leaders of the APC in the state.

    The meeting is not unconnected with the removal of Hon Justin Okonoboh as Speaker of the Assembly.

    As at press time, the meeting was still going on.

  • Edo Assembly Speaker impeached

    Edo Assembly Speaker impeached

    The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Justin Okonoboh, was on Monday impeached by the lawmakers.

    Okonoboh was the third Speaker to be removed since the current Assembly was inaugurated in 2015.

    He was impeached for being selfish and running the Assembly like a family business.

    The impeached speaker was accused of awarding contracts to himself and making his wife the 25th member of the House.

    A lawmaker that wanted to resist the impeachment, Ezehi Igbas, representing Esan North East II, was beaten to stupor by members of the Assembly.

  • Lawyer urges court to commit Edo Speaker to prison

    Lawyer urges court to commit Edo Speaker to prison

    A Benin based lawyer, Barr.  Ikhide Ehighelua, has asked a Federal High Court in Benin City to commit Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Justin Okonoboh to prison custody until they purge themselves of contempt by complying with the orders of the Court of Appeal.

    Barr. Ikhide in motion on notice filed before the court said Speaker Okonoboh violated the court order by not swearing-in his client, Hon Godwin Adenomo, as a member of the State House of Assembly after the Court of Appeal declared Adenomo winner of the party primaries.

    The Court of Appeal had in February sacked Hon Sunday Aghedo and ordered Adenomo to be sworn-in as a member of the Assembly representing Ovia South West constituency.

    Ikhide told newsmen that the judgement which sacked Hon. Sunday Aghedo from the Assembly has not been reserved or set aside.

    He said it was worrisome that months after his client got  judgement from the appeal court, the Speaker refused to comply even when there was no order staying the execution or enforcement of the judgment of the appellate court.

    Ikhide noted that the Speaker has been served with the judgement and a copy of Certificate of Return issued to his client.

    Hon.  Godwin Adenomo by INEC,  the leadership of the House remained adamant hence the  need to commence a  committal process against the speaker and the clerk of the house.which will see them go to prison if they are found wanting.

    According to the lawyer, “The enrolled orders of the court have been served on the Speaker and the clerk respectively of the Edo State House of Assembly and they have failed and deliberately refused to comply with the orders of the court.

    “It is fit and proper in the circumstances to commit them to prison custody until they purge themselves of contempt by complying with the orders of the court.

    “Therefore, the judgement which sacked Aghedo from the house is a valid and subsisting judgement.  Until the judgement is set aside, it must be obeyed. For Speaker and the clerk allowing Aghedo to continue to sit, the parties sought to be committed are eroding the authority of the court.

    “The issues here are founded on the rules of law, and the need for all levels of government to obey the rules of law.  This is Executive and legislative lawlessness. Ehighelua said.

    Speaker Okonoboh in his reaction said the Assembly was an institution of the rule of law and could run fowl of the law by swearing in Adenomo when the Supreme Court was yet to rule on the case.

     

  • We will resume plenary soon, says Speaker Okonoboh

    We will resume plenary soon, says Speaker Okonoboh

    Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Justin Okonoboh, has said that the lawmakers would resume plenary after all technical repairs currently ongoing in the complex are completed.

    Hon Okonoboh who spoke to reporters while inspecting repair works at the generator house and hallowed chamber said public address systems in the chamber were bad.

    On the alleged plot to impeach him, Okonoboh said, “No house is complete anywhere in the world.

    ”We are 24 members from different constituencies; we cannot all speak with one voice. We all have our different opinions and views,” he said.