The House of Representatives on Friday extended the one-week ultimatum to Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State to re-issue proclamation for inauguration of the House of Assembly, to one month.
A member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Media and Publicity of the House, Rep. Yusuf Gagdi (APC-Plateau) made this known at news briefing in Abuja.
The Green Chamber had on July 17 given Mr Obaseki one week to issue a fresh proclamation in line with Section 105(3) of the Constitution.
The lawmakers also directed that the governor should publish the date, time and venue of the inauguration in any national newspapers and television station.
This was the part of the report of the committee on the “Need for Intervention in Edo House of Assembly Crisis’’ presented at plenary.
Mr Gagdi explained that the extension was to allow the house to merge the committee’s report with that of its counterpart that investigated the Bauchi State House of Assembly crisis, to get Senate’s concurrence.
“If you look at the report of the Bauchi case, there is an item that states that the house transmits its recommendations to the Senate.
“In a situation where there are two committees put in place by the house and the senate, position of both chambers have to be put together.
“That is why the committee investigating the Bauchi crisis was given one month and the Speaker considered that the Edo report should be treated the same way.
“Also, that report for Edo should be harmonised with that of the Senate after which we will wait and see if the position of the senate concurs with that of the house.
“From the day the senate takes position on these two states and the governors refuse to act accordingly, definitely we are going to invoke the provision of Section 11(4) of the Constitution.”
The lawmaker stated that the Standing Committees put in place by the Speaker of the House on Thursday would not invalidate the commitments of the ad hoc committees.
He said the ad hoc committees had time lines to work, and would have to complete the responsibilities given to them.
He added that the Standing Committees could not function until they were inaugurated which would be done when the house resumed from its recess on September 17.
“We only heard announcements for chairmen and deputy chairman; the announcement for members of those committees are yet to be made.
“Until that is done, do not hope that the responsibilities of other ad hoc committees would stop,” Mr Gagdi said.
He disclosed that Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila had kept his promise to work with members of other political parties in the house.
“The speaker has given 21 committees to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, four other committees to minority political parties and 30 deputy chairmen of committees.
“If he promised to allocate 60 positions to minority parties and he gave 21 and 30, making 51 plus four of APGA, AA, ADC, it means he has given 58; 58 and 60 are almost the same.
“So, people peddle the rumour that the speaker had promised to give 60 and he did not.
“If you put it together, in the five special committees, the speaker appointed 64 members of minority political parties to sensitive positions he announced yesterday.”
(NAN)
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