The Edo House of Assembly on Thursday moved its sitting venue to the old legislative chamber inside the State Government house in Benin over impeachment scare against the Principal Officers of the house.

But the Clerk of the of house, Yahaya Omogbai on Wednesday in a statement, said: “Following the ongoing fumigation exercise, repairs/renovation including the lighting system as well as the computerization project of the Hallowed Chambers and adjoining offices of the Edo State House of Assembly,

“The Leadership of the House has decided that its plenary session shall resume on Monday 29th June 2020 at 10.00am at the Old Legislative Chambers at Dennis Osadebey Avenue, G.R.A, Benin City, pending the completion of these projects.

“Therefore, all correspondence should be channelled to the aforementioned address until further notice.

“The entire staff of Edo State House of Assembly and the general public should take note please,” Omogbai said in the statement.

Last week Wednesday, the State Government in a statement by Mr Crusoe Osagie, Governor Godwin Obaseki media aid, announced that the Assembly complex will be shutdown for two weeks to pave the way for fumigation and contamination to prevent the spread of the novel Coronavirus.

On the same say, the Speaker of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Assembly, declared that the power to recall the two members of the house and 12 APC members-elect that are loyal to the suspended national Chairman of the APC has been suspended indefinitely.

Okiye disclosed this while speaking on the sideline to mark the One year Anniversary of the Seventh Assembly which was nocturnally proclaimed on June 17, 2019.

In December 2019, the Speaker of the 24-member Assembly, Okiye in accordance with Section 109, sub-section 1(F) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended),” declared the 14 Lawmakers’ seats vacant for failing to meet the mandatory 180 sitting days as enshrined in the Constitution.

The affected members-elect who have being seeking refuge in Abuja are Vincent Uwadiae, Ovia North-East II; Ugiagbe Dumez, Ovia North-East I; Washington Osifo, Uhunmwode; Victor Edoror, Esan Central; Kingsley Ugabi, Etsako East and Michael Ohio-Ezomo, Owan West.

Others are Sunday Aghedo, Ovia South-West; Chris Okaeben, Oredo West; Crosby Eribo, Egor; Aliyu Oshiomhole, Etsako West II; Oshomah Ahmed, Etsako Central and Ganiyu Audu, Etsako West I.

Okiye, while declaring the seats vacant, said that the 12 members-elect ‘defiantly refused’ to come forward to do necessary documentation as part of the conditions for their inauguration as members of the Assembly.

Speaking during the Anniversary, Mr Okiye, stated that the decision to reverse the proclamation order was impossible, adding that the matter the members-elect are already in court.

According to Okiye who denied any plan to defect from PDP to APC, “We have always reflected on the need to be recalled and inaugurated each time we talks with them.

Recall that Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic party, had approached the court, seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to conduct a fresh election into the seats of the 12 members-elect and two others.

But, with the defection of Governor Godwin Obaseki from APC to the PDP, now puts the opposition party in the State in majority by default.

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