There was mild drama on Thursday at the Edo State House of Assembly, located on the Ring Road axis of Benin City, as the roofs of the Assembly complex were forcefully pulled down.
The move comes following the foiled forceful takeover of the Assembly by 17 lawmakers of the APC and loyalists of the Party’s Governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
The order was reportedly issued by the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu who have since decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from the APC.
Security operatives, believed to be drafted from Abuja, earlier today stormed the Edo Assembly complex to provide security cover to the 17 APC lawmakers and Ize-Iyamu’s loyalists.
The move, which was to allow fresh inauguration of the APC loyalists, and the impeachment of the Speaker, Frank Okiye; Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, was however foiled when Obaseki, Shaibu and their supporters stormed the complex.
It was later observed that thugs were immediately drafted to forcefully pull down the roof of the Edo Assembly under the guise that it needed to be replaced with new ones.
Earlier, heavy duty trucks from the Edo Government House were seen heaping sand and other construction materials at the front of the Assembly gate under the guise that renovation was ongoing.
It was gathered that the move was to prevent the APC and the ‘Abuja forces’ from forcefully taking over the Assembly, fearing that it could be used to carry out the impeachment plans.
The pro-Obaseki lawmakers had been sitting inside the Edo State Government House a.k.a Osadebe Avenue for over a month, claiming the Assembly Complex at Ring Road was being fumigated over COVID-19 scare.
The relocation to the Edo Government House, it was learnt, was to monitor the pro-Obaseki lawmakers and ensure they remain true to the Governor’s causes until the September 19 Governorship election.