Speaker of the Edo state House of Assembly, Hon. Justin Okoboh, and his deputy, Mrs. Elizabeth Ativie, have been impeached.
In their place, the assembly elected Hon. Kabiru Adjoto representing Akoko-Edo I constituency and ex-speaker Victor Edoror (Esan Central) as Speaker and deputy respectively.
The duo where impeached after 19 out of the 24-member controlled All Progressives Congress (APC) House signed their impeachment notices over alleged abuse of office and highhandedness.
Besides, the former speaker, his deputy and the member representing Esan North East II, Hon. Magnus Igbaz, were afterwards suspended for three months.
Okonoboh emerged speaker of the Assembly after his predecessor, Mrs. Elizerberth Ativie, stepped down on July 25, 2016.
The embattled legislator, however, escaped impeachment during the House’s sitting on May 23, 2017.
He had on the occasion hurriedly adjourned sitting indefinitely over alleged faulty power generating set.
However, the member representing Akoko-Edo II Constituency, Hon. Emmanuel Agbaje Omolua, in a motion set the stage for the speaker’s impeachment at yesterday’s sitting.
The new speaker, Kabiru Adjoto, alleged that the former speaker was running the Assembly’s affairs like his private entity.
He said: “We are supposed to seat 181 days in a year; and anything short of that is unconstitutional. But the former speaker will either adjourn sitting for his wife’s birthday or his son graduation party from Covenant University.
“In June and late July, the House adjourned for six weeks. In July, we adjourned for over two weeks because he (Okonoboh) wants to attend his son’s graduation party.
“We are 24 members. But his (Okonoboh) wife has made it 25; to the effect if we discuss anything at executive session, the former speaker’s wife will start calling our wives to warn their husbands.
“And we have impeached him. Initially we were 16 who signed the impeachment notice. But three others have joined.”
Reacting to the development, Okonoboh said he remained the speaker, adding that the Adjoto alongside seven other legislators had been suspended to enable peace to return.
