Edo Assembly New House Rule Suspicious, Suggests “Backroom” Deal – APC Chieftain

The Deputy State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Edo State, Emperor Jarret Tenebe, has threatened lawsuit over a secret rule that was passed by a section of the Edo State House of Assembly to the exclusion of the majority.

The party Chief alleged in a statement that a tiny group of lawmakers in the Assembly passed a new rule, the content of which is unknown to several elected members of the House.

According to him, the unusual and secretive tactic deployed by the ‘rogue lawmakers’ behind the reported new rule suggests that something sinister may be afoot. He further threatened to go to court as soon as details of the new House rule is in the public domain and unfavourable to the people.

He said, “We have been reliably informed that some elements in the 7th Assembly plotted to stretch illegality to vexatious limits through the passage of an unknown, privately-designed rule expected to be binding on the House.”

“This is in violation of the House procedure as spelled out by its own laws. We are aware that even some members of the Assembly have not seen the content of this rule sponsored for endorsement by these rogue elements at the instruction of their backers.”

“We will consult our lawyers on the need to challenge this in court. We will sue the governor, attorney general, accountant general and commissioner of finance immediately we are clear about the issue of jurisdiction, locus and appropriateness of the rule”, Mayaki vowed.

Jarret Tenebe’s point is buttressed by the resistance of former Speaker, Mr. Frank Okiye, to the rule on similar grounds that it was secretly drawn up and its content remains unknown.

Okiye and Sunny Ojiezele, two senior members of the Assembly, refused to back the motion that called for the adoption of the controversial rule, after it was lumped with other Bills with hopes that it would be approved undetected.