BENIN CITY- Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu has
decried the stance of the state legislators seeking redress on the floor of the National Assembly, Abuja, saying that “yet, they have not even been inaugurated but absconded, choosing to stay in Abuja.”

Shaibu made this assertion when he received in audience members of the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee probing the crises in the Edo State House of Asdembly. Chairman of the Committee Hon. Abdulrasaq Namdas had led other members on a courtsey call to the Government House to hear the government side of the story.

Shaibu told them to go about their

investigating towards having an amicable resolution in the faceoff among members of the House of Assembly.

Welcoming the Federal Legislators on a fact finding mission, Shaibu stated, ” Interestingly, two other legislators came for inauguration after the first nine. Others should come and make themselves available to be sworn in.”

He stated further, ” Let these members make themselves available to work. I assure them of adequate protection. Let’s broker peace.

“We also like to celebrate them, making them know that they represent the people as they are the first to hear their constituents problems and raise motions which are as potent as laws. This is the kind of relationship we want to build with the legislators so as bring developments to the state, grow the state from a civil service to an industrial one.”

He informed the Federal Legislators that this foundation was built by the immediate past Governor of the state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and consolidated upon by Godwin Obaseki.

He told the Federal Legislators to help appeal to the fleeing legislators elect to stop the campaign of crises in Edo State, adding that this negative story is capable of stalling the developmental strides of the state.

He nonetheless lamented the influence of manipulative external forces whom he accused of trying to make the 24 man EDHA members dance to their whims and caprices.

According to him, there is “someone trying to use the house to fight the executive.”

Briefing the Legislators in retrospect, Shaibu stated, ” In 2007, Governor Adams Oshiomhole led the fight that rescued the state from godfathers, who believed that with their endorsements, you don’t need elections. What is happening today is a replay of that time where 15 lawmakers took the fight to Abuja, throwing stones from there while the other 9 were busy legislating for the good people of the state here in Benin. Unfortunately, some characters were active participants in that crises. Some of these characters, Abass Braima and Samson Osagie are never tired as they are also actively involved in the ongoing face off.

He noted that based on Comrade Oshiomhole’s superior argument, governance was taken back to the people, thus, Edo State has been taken to the level where anybody could aspire to any position with the proper support from the people.

Based on emanating issues, Shaibu stated that some persons were trying to use the EDHA as a tool for the setback of our dear state.

Assuring aggrieved members of the EDHA who made their complaints on the floor of the national assembly of adequate security, support and protection, he informed that there was a duly inaugurated EDHA waiting for them to finalize their process for inauguration.

He lamented the historical twist playing out in the current faceoff in the House, stressing that the Abuja agitation was spearheaded by same politicians, who were openly operating from the sidelines of the national assembly.

Their divisive penchant he observed, blighted present struggle and diminished set standards of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

He affirmed, “We were strategically part of the 2007 crusade by Oshiomhole. We can’t go back on it as roads and other infrastructure are in place since money meant for godfathers are now used for all.

“He taught us to use money for the majority of the people, and we are not going back on that. I am an ambassador of this cordial relationship between the Legislative and the executive.

Chairman of the committee, Hon. Abdulrasaq Namdas affirmed that the ten members of the adhoc committee who made it down to Benin were not on a witch-hunt but on a fact finding mission towards the peaceful resolution of problems at hand since all the 24 legislative members in the house were elected on the same political platform.

The team also made a stop over at the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II Palace to seek his royal counsel at brokering peace in the EDHA, especially to investigate and collate necessary documents which would aid the ongoing investigation.