Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mr Francis Okiye, on Wednesday filed a suit stopping the National Assembly from taking over the state assembly’s functions at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
In an originating summon and a motion on notice for interlocutory injunction with suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/815/2019 filed by the speaker and the state’s assembly, the plaintiffs asked Justice Nkeonye Maha to restrain the National Assembly from going ahead with its plans pending the hearing on the matter.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state’s seventh assembly was inaugurated in controversial circumstances on June 17, when nine out of 24 members-elect during inauguration elected Okiye as the speaker around at 9 p.m.
However, besides the House of Representatives that threatened to take over the assembly should Gov. Godwin Obaseki fail to issue a fresh proclamation for the assembly’s inauguration recently, the Senate had, on Tuesday, passed a resolution giving the governor a week to issue the proclamation letter or risk the takeover of the state’s legislature.
However, the lead Counsel to the plaintiffs, Ola Olanipekun, SAN, on Wednesday, told the court that after the defendants had been properly served as ordered by the court, the Senate on Tuesday, July 30, still went ahead and passed a resolution for the takeover of the assembly if the governor fails to comply with its resolution.
He explained that the defendants, through their lawyers, had on Tuesday served the plaintiffs a counter affidavit to their motion and written address and also filed a memorandum of conditional appearance.
The judge adjourned the case until Aug. 7 to enable the complainants respond to the counter affidavit and written address filed by lawyers to the National Assembly.
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